Career Advice. ARE YOU EASILY REPLACEABLE | Book Review
In this week’s book review, I reviewed LINCHPIN by Seth Goden. There is a lot of valuable insight and motivation in this book. It is well worth the read. Seth gives good career advice. It is advice that a lot of people might dislike, but will also be freeing to most people.
The main point in the book, which the author tackles from many different angles is that instead of waiting for instructions, following a manual and being a cog in the machine. You should be creative, insightful, making your own map and creating art. The first one makes you easily replaceable in bad times, the second one makes you hard to replace.
With the start of the industrial revolution. Industrialists wanted people to work in factories, were the labor was divided into simple step. What they needed is not genius but good obedient workers who can do what they’re told. The more the business model is made into something that didn’t need much genius or talent, the more it’s easy to implement.
The school system that we have, apparently came from the problems of industrialists. They needed obedient factory workers and they needed consumers to buy what they produced. And that why our schooling system looks more like a factory for producing workers. This system worked for people for a long time. The deal was get good grades, work hard, do what you’re told and we’ll give you a good income, health insurance and pensions and all that. You will be taken care of. The power was in the industrialists hands, because they owned all the means to productions.
The author claims that this situation is not true anymore for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is that 3000$ gives you a “factory” these days. All you need is a computer and an internet connection and you have means for production.
From the other side a job were you just do what your told is not a safe path anymore. Globalization, Networks and technology is making it hard for the working people. Because you are replaceable, you become replaced by cheaper employees overseas and your job can be automated. And business who produce good enough products by obedient workers are getting out competed by businesses full of “linchpins” .
So what is a linchpin? Think of him/her as a person who gets things done, understands what going on and knows how bring people together. A linchpin resolves conflicts and makes customers happy without being told what to do. A linchpin is an artist who makes personal work to change people, even if he’s a coffee shop barista.
The decision you have to make is to overcome the fear of standing our, and embrace the generosity of giving and producing to become something that cannot be replaced. I sincerely hope that you are enjoying my gifts! subscribe for more cause I want to keep on giving ;)