1. Please leave three big takeaways from what you’ve read so far. These could be ideas that you like or disagree with. These could be quotes you find interesting (be sure to explain why you find them intriguing). These could be questions you have or examples from your lives that come to mind when reading about Linchpins.
2. Then please leave feedback to TWO other takeaways from your classmates. I’ll “grade” these on Sunday evening.
Thanks!!! Can’t wait to be back on Monday. Sorry I’ve been gone so often!
This is definitely one of my main takeaways from Linchpin so far: "What if you could learn a different way of seeing, a different way of giving, a different way of making a living? And what if you could do that without leaving your job?"
ReplyDeleteMy father, for example, grew up in the era of American work where you could just show up on a regular basis, do your job with minimal thinking skills (my father was a truck driver. I don't mean to diminish what he did at all. But he thrived in that profession without a high school degree. Ask yourselves this - what profession could you thrive in today without your high school diploma?), and slog aways until you're 65 and social security kicked in. Or until you died.
Does that sound like the kind of career you want? That, however, was how almost all of the parents of my friends made their livings.
Things, though, have changed.
Now you can still slog away at your job. There are people doing exactly that at Digi Key, Arctic, and Lincoln.
But they are unremarkable and probably don't have careers they love. They certainly aren't assets to their respective employers.
But - as Godin argues - it doesn't have to be that way.
Regardless of your profession or position, your work can be so much more. Even if you don't get paid more for it.
I could show up and hand out worksheets and read the paper at my desk. When necessary I could give cookie cutter five paragraph themes and Scantron fill in the bubble tests. I could not give out my cell phone numbers or have a presence on social media.
I could just go through the teaching motions and still make my same salary. But I wouldn't be making an impact. I wouldn't, likely, be sitting at the Minnesota Council of Teachers of English conference working to get better. I certainly wouldn't be dreaming up this assignment right now in the lobby of the hotel before any of my colleagues are even downstairs.
But I want to be a remarkable teacher. Not because I make more money but because I want to have an impact. This is why I have a job I love. I just have to see my job of teaching as different. I see it not as delivering content or covering standards; I see it as being a co-learner with all of you and striving to help you all find (or at least realize) your "Why." Then I want to at least expose you to the idea of being a linchpin as opposed to a cog.
On page 33 under the heading "What Would Make You Impossibly Good at Your Job," I love the final line: "All of these attributes are choices, not talents, and all of the are available to you."
ReplyDeletePassion and energy, my friends, are choices not talents. Cal Newport argues that talent is a choice of choosing to work really, really hard and going through deliberate practice. He also argues that passion is a byproduct of the result of that very, very hard work and constant deliberate practice: becoming very good.
These are choices, not talents. Every one of you has the chance to work harder and to become better. When you do that, you will develop more passion for what you do. That will fuel you on a mission or calling. That, my friends, will change your life.
So make that choice.
See ya. I'm off to the first meeting! See you all Monday!
So far the question is, can anyone be a linchpin? Do bosses really want linchpins or do they want easily replaceable (and thus cheap) cogs?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think?
Some of the people I'm inviting to class have very strong feelings about this.
My initial thought is that, surprisingly, no, not just anyone can be a linchpin.
But the more I think about this, the more I disagree with myself.
Why can't anyone be a linchpin? Why can't we - regardless of our jobs - be linchpins or be remarkable.
I don't want to be an average father, husband, teacher, friend, and so on.
Why shouldn't we strive to be Linchpins.
One linchpin in my world is Ruth in the office. "All" she does is enter data into the computer, run errands, and greet students. But she is sunshine personified.
In my book, that makes her a linchpin. She exudes kindness, warmth, and light. If I ever need a pick me up or am cold, I just go down and see Ruth. She is as good as a sun lamp.
Why not strive to be remarkable?
It's a lot of work, but it can change your life.
From my life, here are two examples of linchpins, my siblings.
My sister owns a very, very successful safety consulting business where she designs safety plans for schools, counties, and businesses so they are in conjunction with OSHA standards.
She is remarkable because she doesn't have to advertise. She is so good at what she does, so thorough, so well spoken, so entertaining that her work speaks for itself.
She is also remarkable because she worked part time at Red Lake County Highway department filling in for a secretary on maternity leave. When the girl returned, the county engineer didn't want to lose her, so he created a position for her.
Then she took advantage of a new opportunity as the government was pushing new safety standards so every business, school, and county department needed someone to make sure they were in line with the OSHA standards.
Barb did this; however, she became so good at it that NCTC recruited her to do the same thing. For more money.
She did that for a few years and then she was encouraged to start her own business and do it herself and make even more money.
That is currently where she is thriving.
My brother is also another example. He has a high school degree and is now in upper management at Crystal Sugar in Crookston. He kept learning and adapting and growing as a worker. He went from doing a menial labor job shoveling and loading beats to now managing large groups of employees. His bosses actually approached him about leaving the workers union and becoming part of management because he had what they were looking for in motivation, people skills, and the ability to constantly learn.
Neither of these people are superhuman or brilliant. They made the choice to keep learning and to be so good that their bosses couldn't ignore them. In fact, their bosses tried to keep them.
That's how becoming a linchpin works.
On page 35 Godin says, "You want your employees to be indispensable. Really? After all, if they're the linchpins, you have to treat them better." If you are a linchpin, its easy to find a new job somewhere. If you want to have somebody in your work force, and you feel that they are valuable to your mission, find a way to keep them. A linchpin will find a place where they are valued.
ReplyDeleteUnder the header "This Is No Time for Dumb Tools" Godin talks about the use of common sense and judgement to save money. Its such a simple idea but its kind of interesting, too. Obviously people have common sense, (some people anyway) and robots and machines don't. People can see through lies and people trying to cheat the system, where machines can't. At the same time, though, machines are generally more efficient at tedious tasks and in the long run would save you money because you wouldn't need to hire a replaceable cog to do it. I'm not quite sure which side I agree with more.
ReplyDeleteI agree that humans and machines have advantages and disadvantages to them. People have intuition and the ability to recognize their mistakes, but also get sick and aren't consistent in their work. Machines don't have those problems, but they can't come up with new ideas or adapt to its environment by itself.
DeleteI am also unable to choose between robots or people. People can bring a lot to a company because they are always able to give out new ideas. Robots are able to work without pay. I believe it all has to do with the company itself and which one will help it run better and will make it successful in the long run of the company.
DeleteI think that machines can be very useful to businesses in place of people. At Walmart if I don't feel like talking to people I can use a self checkout and never have to talk to another person. The machine won't accidentally push the wrong button or scan the same object twice. At the same time you are also losing something special about talking to a real person and connecting to another person.
DeleteI have never been a boss of anything, but I have some experience being "in charge" of people with Student Council and other things. I doubt that a boss would want somebody that will work for cheap. In the four years I have been in student council, I have worked with a lot of kids. There have been kids that I wouldn't give a Nickel to for their work, and there have been kids that I would pay hundreds of dollars for. The people who make life easier for me are the people that I want helping me out. Those are the people I would pay to help out, and those are the people that bosses should be wanting to work with. Somebody in that position at a company should care about the company more then they do themselves, and they should want to pay people who are good at what they do.
ReplyDeleteI agree that some people's work can be terrible and that you want the best of all of them to work for you. However, it can be hard to get these people because in my experience they are outnumbered. It also hard to find people who are willing to to love their jobs better then themselves. This is why when these people appear we like to call them linchpins.
DeleteOne takeaway I have gotten from this book so far is that I disagree with Michael E. Gerber about the perfect business model. He believes that the model will be operated by people with the lowest possible level of skill. I understand that you may not want your whole workforce made up from the best workers as the pay would have to be higher, and therefore the prices of your goods or services would have to be higher, but I do not think you want the lowest possible level of skill as the bases for your employees. Sure they may be cheap and easily replaceable, but I could see you business start to suffer by not having more capable people working.
ReplyDeleteAnother takeaway I got from this book was from the section that discusses Hector and how we are not much different than him. I found this section to be very interesting because it really is true. Generally, society looks down on those people who have to just stand outside and hope they get chosen for a job that day, but how are we any different? The main difference I see between them and us is that instead of us standing out waiting for a job, we send our resumes out in our place. They all just sit there in a giant pile with the people choosing between them not really caring who they hire. They just want someone to do the job. They don’t care about your problems or how badly you need the job, they only care about the job getting done. We are nameless nobodys.
I find myself disagreeing with the Law of the Mechanical Turk to some extent. I see it as being a more circumstantial law than a constant law. The law states that any project, if broken down into sufficiently small, predictable parts, can be accomplished for awfully close to free. I think this all depends on the people doing the individual parts. You have to search for deals. It’s very possible that you can find a person to do a project cheaper than all the individual parts added up would equal. Especially when a project is bigger, think of all of the individual parts that will have to be given out to get a project done.
I really like how you came up with the resume analogy. I had never thought about it in that way but its actually so true. We are all just waiting to be chosen and hopefully we have shown enough in our resume or interview for companies to get a feel for us. But how do we show that we are a linchpin while searching for our first real job? How are we supposed to get that across in a piece of paper or a half an hour meeting? Hopefully they will just be able to see it in us and we will just get lucky, I don't know.
DeleteI really enjoy and agree with the "Art and Initiative and Who's an Artist Now?" We are all born unique and on of a kind. As we grow older though, we begin to change and turn into the person we are "supposed" to be. We do things we are supposed to do and do everything everyone is suppose to do. There are some people that stay away from this, that's why they are different and more successful the the "supposed" people. I love the ending quote too. "It's easy to buy a cookbook (filled with instructions to follow) but really hard to find a chef book."
ReplyDeleteI really like this section too. We have been instructed for so long to be a certain person while we are supposed to ignore our drives to be the people we really want to be. Who we are "supposed" to be will not lead us to a successful life so we are supposed to just ignore it. I think that is wrong. I can understand how not everyone can be free to completely make all the decisions in their life, but don't allow yourself to be completely dictated to.
DeleteAbsolutely the truth. We are born creative individuals and through what we have been taught and told to do we become less different. We turn into something average. I luckily was homeschooled and never fit in during the years I tried to start normal school. After a while I just embraced the fact that I was different and that was what I wanted to be. Because of my experience where I was not told how to be normal from such an early age I became different, and I became a unique individual.
DeleteI fully agree with the "Teaching Remarkable" segment. Schools need teachers that can teach student how to be amazing and indispensable. We are lucky as students from Lincoln because we have many teachers who are able to teach us how to be remarkable. They work to show us our passions and help us find what we love, not just teach us what is required. That is what Lincoln is about and it has helped me become the person I am. I could never thank my teachers enough for teaching me what they have.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you on this. We need teachers that are going to start us off right, and encourage us to be better and explore things. Like in families, if kids have bad parents, then more than likely they are not going to be the most remarkable people because they grew up in such rough times. But if children have awesome parents that push them to be their best and love them, then they have a really good chance of being successful. I feel like the same goes for teachers in school. If they give us a great experience and encourage the right things as we are growing up, then we will be prepared and successful in life.
DeleteAfter reading the first two chapters of Linchpin probably the main thing that I took away is that you have to choose to be a linchpin. Like Godin said, "It's easy to argue that this genius stuff is for other people, not you." I find myself all the time counting myself out of tough occupations like doctors or lawyers because I feel like thats for other people, people who are much smarter or people who want to go to school for longer than the four years of college. Iv'e chosen that I don't want to push myself as much as I can and have left work like that up to other people, saying that it won't work for me. I'm not saying that only really tough jobs are where the linchpins are at, linchpins can be found at any job, but I just think its weird how Godin pointed out that many people just settle and leave greatness up to others because they don't think it will work for them.You have to choose to be great and a linchpin, and shouldn't just leave it up to others.
ReplyDeleteAnother concept that I took away was the one found under the More Obedience heading. It talks about how businesses would probably be more successful if people were more artistic, motivated, connected, aware, passionate, and genuine, compared to if they were just obedient. I feel like in school though, they really push the obedience part and barely ever push the artistic, passionate, etc. part. We are barely ever encouraged to try new things, or try to create something. We are just supposed to behave and do what is asked of us, a lot of times without question, and maybe that is why so many people are like that in the workplace, because after all the years they are just used to it.
Another concept that I took away was being more human. For some reason when Godin talked about that it really seemed important to me and something that I've never really heard. We shouldn't be like machines that just do our job and nothing else, but we should connect with people and carry the things that make us human into our jobs. I love when I go to stores or businesses and the people are just so like almost informal. They don't have like a programed thing that they say to everyone that walks by, but instead they just have a real, human conversation with you, and I love that and feel like so many other people do too. We need to learn how to connect more and be more human, and I feel like that is definitely one way that we can be linchpins.
I agree with your last paragraph Sydney. We should always be connecting with others about ideas and engaging with them too. Store employees make conversation with you because they want to help you, not because they are required too. Once they get passed that step, that will make them different from the rest.
DeleteI think its not only about being human, but being good to the point that you can't be replaced. Machines don't feel for people, they can't go the extra mile for people, and that is the stuff that makes people who care and who are good at what they do irreplaceable.
Delete"Not my Job" is a segment I was looking forward to reading. I am employed at a nursing home and I have a co-worker that would always say this. If someone complained about something, she would say that wasn't her fault because it wasn't her job. Or if someone asks her to do something, she won't because it not her job. Working with her is frustrating because of her always saying this. No one enjoys working with because she is only doing things that she is required to do. She will not do something extra that will help someone else or take responsibility for something. I never want to be that person at a work place because you stand out for all the bad reasons not the good ones. I try to be the person that will do things for others and make things flow better. I hope I never say to someone that that's "not my job."
ReplyDeleteAgain, caring for people and caring enough for you job to go the extra mile for people is key. If you aren't willing to do a little extra for somebody, they won't want to come back for your services. My parents just went to Sam's Club and the furniture they wanted was sold out. The employee that was helping them spent 20 minutes calling around to see if anybody else had them in stock. He wasn't able to find anything, but my parents still talked about it when they got home. I would say that kid is a linchpin.
DeleteI totally understand how difficult it can be to work with someone who does not do enough work. "It's not my job." This is something that I believe would make any person upset. If someone does not like their job to help out a fellow worker because of this reason. they really need to take a look at their life and possibly get a new job. Not helping someone because you are lazy does not make you a linchpin, it makes you an unlikable person. It is very important to take a little time to help others. Even minor things can be memorable.
DeleteUnder the header, "This time it is personal," Godin talks about something that many of the books we have read over this semester have read. He explains that we grow up in a system that forces us and teaches us to hold back. While he does not directly say the school system, it is implied. Godin explains that we are undervalued as we grow up. Being a senior and looking back at my life in school I can see the moments were creativity is held back. It is an interesting concept to think about. My favorite line so far is, "You have brilliance in you, your contribution is valuable, and the art you create is precious." This states everything we should have learned growing up. The fact is we are taught to blend in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this 100%. Besides kindergarten and early elementary school we are taught to hold back our creativity. In school we are taught to pay attention and do our work. In very few classes do we get to take an assignment and be creative and make it personal.
DeleteAnother thing I took away from the book so far is the fact that people are terrified to step out of the box. In the past and in the future there have been people waiting to be told what to do. I like how Godin points out that we like to think that we are in charge of our life. We have a say in what we do with our lives. However, the hard truth is that we are way to scared.We tend to give up our freedom for certainty.We give up our voice to make sure we have the things we want. I guess this is the perfect time to turn my life around and follow the path of my dreams instead of the path of certainties.
ReplyDeleteProbably my biggest take aways from the book is under the heading, "You Can't." Godin starts the section by telling us at different ages we were different people; from being an artist, to a poet, and to an entrepreneur However, the biggest thing that stuck with me was the part on doing something that matters. Godin points out that many people who want to do something that matters have similar excuses. They say they "can't" because they are not qualified, trained, or even gifted enough to do the thing that really matters. I know I have said it before, and I am pretty sure other have said it to. Godin says that is not that we "can't" do it. It is because we do not "want" to do it. The word "can't" is our go to excuse for many things in our lives. For example, If I asked you a favor of taking my goat to the vet. I bet you will say I "can't" for some various reason. We think "can't" is more polite. If you said I do not "want" to take your goat to the vet. It might hurt my feelings (it wouldn't because I would never ask someone this). Just think before you "can't" do something.
ReplyDeleteI just wish I could get paid for all the excuses that I could come up with. We all say that there is not enough hours in the day. But once I think about it, I waste a lot of time sleeping. maybe I should cut sleep out and focus on doing something with that time.
DeleteOne of the concepts I agree with is “If You Want…” I think rules hold people and their potential back. People get scared to break the rules for the sake of ending up in trouble, which knocks the creativity right out of us. Employers want the best workers, but some fail to realize that with all the strict policies they have it only puts employees down and they don’t try to be the best that they can be because the rules are stopping them from it. “Would your organization be more successful if your employees were obedient or if they were artistic, motivated, connected, aware, passionate, and genuine?”
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the old American Dream isn’t the same as it is today. The old American Dream was basically just work as hard as possible and it’ll pay off in the end. I still think that’s partially true, but if you’re just working hard at the same thing how far is it really getting you? I guess it depends on the job and situation. But, today people are looking for others who are remarkable and stand out, I guess that’s where linchpins come in. Almost anyone can be a hard worker, but what makes your hard work stand out?
“Where Does Average Come From?” Godin states that average comes from being brainwashed by schools and the voice inside your head telling you to hold back you’ll be safe. I think school is the biggest one of all. I don’t think high school holds us back all that often, but in elementary school and middle school I think is where it all happens. We can’t fully think for ourselves at that age and that’s when we get “brainwashed”. During art projects if we cut outside the lines we got eye rolls and they gave us another one to start over with because we didn’t do it the right way. I feel like adults put limits on kids at a young age and they grow up thinking that is the only right way.
I think the biggest takeaway I've gotten so far is when he talks about how you can have a laptop and be productive. I think that it is becoming easier and easier to do that as the world becomes more and more revolved around the internet. At the moment if you don't know how to start working from the internet or don't have the skills to work strictly from a lap top I think that it would be hard to.
ReplyDeleteThe second takeaway is how Godin says you have to be human. No one remembers someone who is average and boring to talk to. You have to make yourself relatable and interesting to talk to. If people don't feel respected by you they aren't going to think that you are anything special. It's normal in our society to avoid too many social situations and to be a linchpin you can't be afraid to be social.
The section "Teaching Remarkable" made me think about how schools absolutely suck at making students indispensable. When you go to school you are expected to pay attention and do the homework. You aren't taught to make yourself different and you aren't taught to make yourself indispensable. There are only a handful of teachers who understand this concept.
I definitely see the same way about how school is clouding out our natural ability to be remarkable. The way school is set up they don't support free form creativity where we can do exactly what we want to do or learn. Because of the fact that there are so many ways of teaching that are set in stone as well as sculpting us to perform well only on tests isn't giving us the opportunity to become remarkably different as individuals. Our school has a few activities and teachers that are helping to support the abilities we already have to be different but there simply isn't enough of these to reach everyone. School isn't focusing enough on creating our new individual "artists" that are remarkable all on their own.
DeleteI agree with what you say about being relatable. I also liked what you said about being productive on the laptop. It is a different way of thinking about productivity.
DeleteThe first takeaway that I got from the readings was that you need to be indispensable, and to become remarkable. The way to do that is to be different. If everyone is just a disposable cog you need to stand out and show off what you got to make sure they cant fire you.
ReplyDeleteThe second part was that you need to be an artist. Not the regular version of artist but someone who knows how to create value. The work they do is remarkable and simply makes a change in others. To be an artist you have to be creative, love what you do, and do things without being told. Your art is your work and it is what you make it that affects how others view you as a worker.
The third is the fact that we can overcome the mindset that we often say we cant or that its not our job. We always have been able to do anything from the time we were born but the only reason we believe we can't is because we simply don't want it enough. Its not that we can't its that we don't want to. If we look at everything as if we can't or its not our job we will never succeed as a linchpin. A linchpin always believes and always says yes.
I definitely agree with what you say about being an artist and creating value. Really good insight! :)
DeleteI feel that it is so hard to be an artist. If I do what others consider to be art, than I'd be copying. A cheap copy is not a piece of art. If I make something brand new, It gets mocked and ripped to shreds by the critics. Creating art is like winning the lottery.
Delete- I really like the quote on page 3 of the book: “You have brilliance in you, your contribution is valuable, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do it, and you must. I’m hoping you’ll stand up and choose to make a difference.
ReplyDelete- I love working with people. I do my best when I am working with clients; I am in my element. I hope to one day be a linchpin in my career, it is my passion.
-I think it is important to put your personality into your work. Be yourself and be pleasant, try your best to make someone else’s day better, you will be rewarded as much as the other people.
take aways:
ReplyDelete"No one is a genius all the time..." It's so simple yet provocative. Even the people who are famous for being geniuses where dim at times. All it takes is a quick burst of innovation to cement yourself. The problem is the burst. Most don't believe they have it in them. They don't believe in themselves so they sabotoge themselves to continue living an average life. I don't want to shhot for average. Not yet at least.
"If you have something to say, SAY IT. and think well of yourself while you're learning how to say it better" When the time comes in my life that I have something to say, will I say it? Do I even believe in myself? Have I been surrendering to my lizzard brain for too long and lost my oppurtunity to say something? What can I accomplish from speaking up?
"how is it possible to brainwash billions of people to bury thier genius?" Reading this makes me feel like I'm in the matrix. I'm a living pawn. If I want to make something of myself, I'll have to free myself from the cycle. It sounds absurd to even think about. Ive been taught all my life that those who break the stride and follow their heart end up losers.