Linchpin — Are you Indispensable?
Two words:
That’s all I have to say.
You’ll have to listen to his participatory podcast Akimbo, and read his daily “riffs” on his blog and Instagram. You might want to join his podcast-workshop on a new type of business thinking and practice; or his actual series of workshops from the ‘alt-MBA’ to storytelling, to bootstrapping (for freelancers), to podcasting. He’s extremely interested in cultivating a deeper sense of culture in doing what really matters.
In Linchpin, my first full read of his book, he takes the reader through itself. Look, I had to dig deep in this book because it provokes, pokes and gives a choice. The choice we need to make is between doing work that matters and not doing it. He explores how we are intimidated by our potential, and it is biological trait he calls ‘the lizard brain’. It is part of an education system that encourages safe, secure and steady employment life in a world of ‘divided labour’ where labour does not own the means of production, but is a factor of production. Education for labour, no real specialisation. He proposes further learning about ourselves in this new world that needs more than simply cogs in a machine. Instead, it needs skilled, passionate and charming individuals who can navigate teams, organisations, people and technology toward doing work that matters.
Manuel Castells describes the future of labour in this network society as ‘self-programmable’. Which means, instead of simply being taught how to play a specific role, repetitively in an industrial machine — labour becomes self-aware, and actively involved in exploring its own growth. We are in an era where information, human connections and opportunities are tied together in an open source environment. All we need to do, is learn and re-learn, and un-learn in order to assemble and apply the skills and technical capabilities we already have.
The same theme emerges from Paulo Freire. He argues in his seminal book, ‘The Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ that the present curriculum should respond to the needs of the current students. It should be a reflexive stimulus and response to their inherent interests in society’s problems, challenges, opportunities and solutions. This provokes an active student. Who graduates as active labour. Non-compliant, passionate, inquisitive and perpetually a step ahead of the programme because of the self informed nature of how her skillset is applied.
In Seth Godin’s book, the story is taken one step further. He probes the reader. He probed me. On one hand he creates a compelling argument for investing our time doing the work we care about, doing it well and making sure it serves others. On the other hand, he explains why this might be difficult, unattractive and why we might find ourselves in situations where we perpetually reject our potential’s possibilities. Refusing to take responsibility for our time, and preferring to blame the system. In the internet age, he argues, the argument that we are exploited doesn’t really hold. We have the choice to interact with the abundance of knowledge, options and contributions. This requires work. It requires effort. It doesn’t mean leave your job. It simply means do your work.
If you’re keen to take a step. A small step toward your interests. I highly recommend it. One more thing, the book highlights how good work that matters is sought after. Searched for, and pursued. This has an interesting meaning.
Cal Newport’s Deep Work thesis is a proponent of meaning. We’re in a world where people and organisations value work that is scarce and valuable. It requires long-hours of focus, concentration and effort. It demands a certain level of skill, consistency and interest which lead up to a passionate effort toward a specific goal. Doing deep work offers an opportunity to build something valuable, purposeful and share it. However, it requires a certain level of interest in doing the work, toiling and serving others. Deep work is much more than Daniel Goleman’s ‘flow’, and instead proposes a state of deep concentration to formulate something of value. Hardwiring synaptic connections, and stimulating focus on a specific problem in a systematic way. What interests me is the fact that deep work, requires iteration, self-reflection, modification and perpetual motion, practice — or self-programming. The difference between Cal Newport and Seth Godin’s arguments are salient. They both argue that good work takes effort, but being a linchpin requires connection: emotional labour. Doing work that matters motivates effort, depth and inquiry. This, in my view, stimulates deep work.
If you’re keen to be sought after, asked about, and do rare and valuable work, I highly recommend Linchpin, by Seth Godin.
Thank you for reading this brief note. To read more of my work, about building people and places through transport visit www.hlulani.com
