I have to read these type of books for work twice a year for a mandated "Team Book Club". As a caveat before getting into this, I hate things that are mandated. Also I read a lot and have a huge list of things I want to read, so having to take time out to read something like this, can feel like a bit of a waste of time. So now, I like Seth's blog and check it from time to time when I have the time. This one should have stayed as a blog post. It would have been good in that length. In book form,

Whenever we went to the McDonald's near my college campus, it was like dining at a five-star restaurant. At this particular Mickey D's, every single customer was greeted by the most cheerful and friendliest guy I have ever encountered. He held the door open, asked you about your day, stopped by your booth to see how your Big Mac was, and engaged you in some witty repartee. People loved this guy. The Husband and I certainly did. Its been 20 years since I last laid eyes on the guy and while I can'...

First, book name is wrong. It should be "Are you a valued worker?" or something like that. Author himself says no one is indispensable and uses the quote "Cemetery is full of indispensable people". Advices he gives do make sense: to give small gifts to your clients and customers in order to stand out, go extra mile not expecting anything in return and you will be successful.But, he has a grudge against evil capitalism. - Capitalism turns people into machines (Isn't any -ism doing that? Especiall...

It is indeed true, most of books such as these can be summed up in few paragraphs. Let me try and summarize 242 pages of this book.Linchpin is the person who is indispensable in the organisation, who doesn't do what he/she is being told, brings emotional labour to his job, is an artist.Thing is our schools, workplaces encourage people who keeps head down, fits in and does what he/she is being told. In this economy, that person, like an average factory worker, is replaceable.All of us are artist

Like many books in this genre, this book suffers from being too long. The core content, however, is fantastic. Seth's thoughts on "shipping", beating the resistance, and giving gifts were useful and inspiring. I'd recommend the audio book to anyone--makes it easier to skip past the repetitive chunks once you've got Seth's point.

Seriously, if you want to know why your children's school seems to not be teaching them to think, if you want to know why you hate your job, read this book.Our entire education system is built around creating good factory workers, who have no initiative and do what they're told. You may sit in a call centre or push numbers into a computer all day - but it's still a factory, think about it. Guess what - the factories are all gone or on their way, and cost-cutting means that you can't compete with...

I'm ambivalent on this one. A few years ago, I read another of Godin's books, Meatball Sundae, which explained that you cannot use "sundaes" (web 2.0 marketing) to sell "meatballs" (old-school, average products for average people). Which was a good argument, I suppose, except that Godin never really explained how you can transform your "meatballs" into "ice cream." So when I picked up his new book, Linchpin, I wasn't sure what to expect. Unlike Godin's other books, Linchpin isn't about marketing...

Reading this book, I often thought of one of my favorite bumper stickers "Visualize Using Your Turn Signal". Of course, it is a funny and practical variation of the bumper sticker "Visualize World Peace".This is a "Visualize World Peace" book, in a world in more need of "Visualize Using Your Turn Signal". Forget about being a "Linchpin", some of us workers need to make ourselves productive (as opposed to counter-productive). And many others need to increase their lagging productivity. How many t...

An inspiring book with a great messageFrom school to the workplace, we're all trained to act and behave within a specific framework and following certain rules vital to the production. According to the "law of cold turkey" Any project, if broken down into sufficiently small, predictable parts, can be accomplished for awfully close to free. And think for yourself about those who are in charge of managing those simple parts, Are the indispensable? Are they irreplaceable?The message of the book is

I only gave this book one star. I was under the impression that Seth Godin's writing was similar to that of Malcolm Gladwell...Blink (which I thouroughly enjoy). This book argues that we should all seek to create skills such that we are the linchpin of our organization or company and thus irreplacable. I didn't buy into his arguments...he spoke little of higher education and/or specialization. I generally find no matter how special you are you are always replacable. I suggest your time is better...

Godin is the man! My 8th Godin book, this one was surprisingly good, and as always, right on point. Recommended reading for anyone interested in career development. This one might get a second round, excellent reminders. “The only purpose of starting is to finish, and while the projects we do are never really finished, they must ship. Shipping means hitting the publish button on your blog, showing a presentation to the sales team, answering the phone, selling the muffins, sending out your refere...

Linchpin is Seth Godin's challenge to do your life's best work. That's big: your life's best work. Its message is that no matter if you're a pizza cook, a shaman or a 30-year Member of the Board, it's time to make something--something that matters--happen. And to make it happen with clarity, with humility and with a generous heart. The book's message is appropriately urgent, because these are urgent times, where molasses-bound mediocrity suffuses the workplace, where convention pulls the air out...

Linchpin is one of those career self-help books that are popular airplane reads. I was ready to give it a terrible review, but then I spent an hour skimming it. During that abbreviated read, I ran across a simplified view of the modern workplace and how it differs from a naive and inaccurate view of the workplace of yesteryear, a few run-of-the-mill inspirational stories including one about Richard Branson that's memorable, and some ambiguous descriptive advice about how to stand out in your car...