Linchpin will make you a better employee. Seth Godin is a fun writer to read, but even more so he illuminates the current employment situation in the world. Globalization and the Internet have changed the name of the game. It is no longer a game of management and labor. The name of the game is management, labor, and linchpins. The linchpins are the people that cannot be replaced easily and are integral to the continued existence of the company. You want to be a linchpin, it is a better way of living and working than anything else that came before. Becoming a linchpin requires creativity, enthusiasm, and effective actions.

Creativity is the important quality that can make you indispensible to any organization. The ability to solve the problems of the business with whatever resources you have available makes you crucial to any boss. You will become the last person on the chopping block whenever a round of firings pops up. You cannot just go to work, put in your eight hours and the bare minimum level of work to keep your job anymore. If you do this, you will be outsourced or automated.

Art is the name of the game. Understand the rules, but get the job done. You will be afraid of being creative at your job, because it is risky and goes against everything that you have done before. Persevere, and do not let the fear stop you, because the risks are worth it. If your business doesn’t like your actions, you are merely a cog in a machine and probably in the wrong job anyway. If you are allowed to be creative at your job, you will not only be indispensible but enthusiastic about your employment.

Enthusiasm is a gift you give the world. Let’s face it, your time is more valuable than the wage you are making. You need to make the exchange worth it. To do this is to treat your existence and your work as a gift to the world. Give away your skills and your creativity and your work. Be enthusiastic as hell about your job, and it will seep through to all aspects of your life. You will be happier, you will enjoy the work, and you will create more value for the world. This value will return to you in spades. Be the janitor of NASA that thinks he is building rocket ships, rather than cleaning toilets.

If you are enthusiastic and find your duties to be integral to the accomplishments of your business, they will be. Everyone in this country claims to hate their jobs, you don’t have to. In fact, you can learn to love your job if you are enthusiastic and indispensible. However, your energy should not be thrown indiscriminately at problems, you need to be effective.

Effective action will not only make you vital to your business but also make your life much easier. Don’t do anything that is unnecessary to your job functions or the success of your company. You must have a great vision to truly be effective. Yet there is no map, your actions will be up to you. You need to plan and do things for yourself, and make decisions. Do not be afraid to do this for action is always better than inaction. Look at all sides of the equation, and use this strategy to your advantage.

“A brilliant negotiator does her art by understanding the other side as honestly as anyone can. Only by seeing the world through clear eyes can she possibly craft a negotiation strategy that works for everyone (p. 184.)”

Stop trying to fit in, stop trying to just get by in your job. If this is your mindset you will lose your job quicker than any action and failure will allow. Throw off the collar given to you by your boss, and make yourself an equal partner in your work. You will be happier, more effective, and passionate than you have ever been before. Seth Godin teaches the skills of becoming a linchpin and this book is a must read for any young professional, or mid-career professional who is looking around and seeing a world they don’t recognize. Become the artist that changes your world and the work that you do. Become a linchpin or let the wheels fall off the wagon.