> MOVING ON UP ‘
You don’t become indispensable merely because you are different. But the only way to become indispensable is to be different. That’s because, if you’re the same, so are plenty of other people’
W
e used to be told that everyone was replaceable, no matter how important their role in the organ- isation seemed. We’ve all seen it – the disgrun- tled employee grandstanding with management over some grievance, real or imaginary, threat- ening to leave and saying that the whole house
of cards would come tumbling down once they were gone. Fast forward a month or two and they’ve been replaced, everything is back to normal and everyone is wondering what all the fuss was about. Obviously, the disgruntled employee wasn’t quite as indis- pensable as they thought they were, so where did it all go wrong? In marketing guru and best-selling author Seth Godin’s latest
work, Linchpin (Piatkus 2010), he sets out just how to avoid such pitfalls and ensure that you become truly indispensable to your employer. To achieve this, he argues, you must become a linchpin. Linchpins aremore than justmere cogs in the wheel of an organ-
isation. They are the connectors, the ones who really make things happen, says Godin. They also see and exploit new opportunities and, ultimately, are the ones who are rewarded with the best jobs with the most freedom. Linchpins help to create successful com- panies and secure employment for themselves and others, some- thing that is doubly important in times of economic uncertainty like these. They do this by helping to define a company’s strategic mis- sion and making it relevant to both employees and customers alike on an ongoing basis.
The third force Whether you see it as a massive opportunity or an overwhelming threat, there is no doubt that the world of work has changed irrev- ocably over the past few years. Where there was once just man- agement and labour, there is now a third force – the linchpins. This third force bridges the gap between management and labour and, equally importantly, between the company and the outside world, explains Godin. Primarily, establishing yourself as a linchpin is all about the ability
to communicate effectively, to think differently and to forge mean- ingful mission-centric relationships. It’s about cutting through all the red tape and politics to focus on what is truly important and can be applied in equal measure to either management or labour and even
54 Marketing Age Volume 4 Issue 3 2010
the self-employed. The old rules don’t apply any more, it’s time to think differently and draw your own map, he says. “You don’t become indispensable merely because you are differ-
ent. But the only way to become indispensable is to be different. That's because, if you're the same, so are plenty of other people.” All this sounds a lot easier said than done and, for many, it may
just be impossible. The main reason why many people don’t achieve their full potential is fear of upsetting the status quo and having to think for themselves. But it doesn’t have to be that way, according to Godin. It’s all
down to personal choice; you can choose to lie down and accept your role as merely a small cog in a giant wheel or you can over- come your fear, harness your innate abilities and carve out a bright new future for yourself.
Seven abilities of the linchpin The linchpin has seven key abilities, as he tells it. These are unique talent, unique creativity and the abilities to provide a unique interface between members of the organisation, to manage situations of great complexity, to lead customers, to inspire staff and to provide deep domain knowledge. We all have these attributes within us – we just don’t always
realise they are there, hemaintains.Many people apply these attrib- utes successfully in their personal lives every day, either in manag- ing family relationships or in the pursuit of their hobbies, but don’t think they are relevant to their work situations. The key to success is bridging that gap and recognising where they can make a unique and meaningful contribution in the workplace with the skills that they have already shown elsewhere. Once the linchpin-in-training chooses the brave new world over
the old, they must follow through by giving more of themselves to their work, Godin claims. Here he advocates seeing the work itself as “art” and the act of doing it as “gift giving”, with the “givers” rather than the “receivers” emerging as the true success stories. While this concept might be difficult for some employees to
stomach, Godin says it is the only way to truly make a difference. “Linchpins are artists and givers of gifts,” he suggests. “They bring humanity to the work, they don’t leave it at home. The hard work isn’t lifting or shoving or sharpening. The hard work is being brave
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