An international event occurred on June 14, 2010. All over the world, people who identified with Seth Godin’s latest book Linchpin gathered to exchange ideas, contacts, and business dreams. Linchpin Magazine is the post-event guide to what happened at these meetings, as well as a listing of the fascinating projects people are undertaking. My recap of the Chicago meetup is in there, and I am proud to be a part of this exciting publication.
Seeducation
At the core of the linchpin mentality is doing things to benefit others; whether it be your market niche, your audience, your customers, or the global community. This is why all sales of Linchpin Magazine benefit Seeducation, a charity selected by the linchpins. Seeducation has a very linchpin-type mission:
What we are trying to achieve is a movement; we want to host the world’s greatest thinkers, movers, shakers, concepts and practical lessons in education, and build a world where knowledge is shared openly, where teaching and training is given because people realize it will actually benefit themselves and everyone else.
A world in which individuals coagulate into communities, and behave as though they were all actually part of one body; every cell has a unique purpose, which alone has no meaning, but together can achieve literally anything its collective will wishes.
Seeducation seeks collective education, not only for children but for the world as a connected whole. Brilliant. Seeducation is a good place to contribute your time, project ideas, or make a donation by purchasing Linchpin Magazine. Before July 13 you can receive 25% off by entering LINCHPIN at checkout on the MagCloud site. It sells for $15 ($11.25 with the discount). This is the only place you will find the magazine; pick up a copy to get a glimpse into what the linchpins are working on and support a good cause.
Linchpin is for everyone
If you haven’t read Linchpin and are involved in any way with other human beings, get yourself a copy and read it this month. Linchpin focuses on the new business model, the evolution of marketing, the new customer service, and keeping your job in a rapidly changing economy. It might sound corporate, but it discusses how linchpins, in any position of interacting with people, can make big changes. What resonated with me the most was the essence of the linchpin personality. It justified the way I work, and verified my strategy on communication. It was like a business revival for me; I kept shouting, “Yes!” as I read it. Seth captured the energy of our changing business models, and explained what we have to do in order to survive.
Seth has nailed the shift in modern business on the head: you have to become a linchpin, or you remain a cog. Some people are happy being cogs: you go to your cubicle, do what is asked, collect your paycheck, and go home. Repeat daily until retirement. The trouble with being a cog is the possibility of extinction: anyone can fill your shoes, and the folks hiring cogs have no qualms about replacing you with another cog. Because there’s nothing special about a cog; they may have skills, but there’s no vision, no desire to do more than what is expected.
Linchpins are artists
Seth Godin refers to linchpins and smart business folks as artists, which appeals to me for obvious reasons. The similarity between a business linchpin and an artist is justified; both have far-reaching perspective. They think of the whole instead of just themselves. They see solutions before others even see a problem. Linchpins deliver the key ingredient: shipping. They ship solutions, on time or earlier, and thrive on benefiting the whole. The book contains a myriad of examples, situations, arguments for change, back history on the industrial age, and explanations of the linchpin work lifestyle. I found the linchpin lessons to be applicable to personal life as well as professional. Seth’s humor, grace, and wisdom are as entertaining as they are insightful. He’s a true leader, and I’m happy to empower our artist tribe by recommending Linchpin and Linchpin Magazine.
You can grab Linchpin on Amazon, and Linchpin Magazine on Magcloud.
