An Artist at Work. And Home.
I’ve been reading Seth Godin’s new book “Linchpin”. In a nutshell, Linchpin is an open letter to anyone who would consider themselves a “worker”. Godin calls out to inspire the reader, to seek out their seed of creativity, and to make themselves indispensible.
I’ve been enjoying the book, finding Godin’s standpoint out of the box and thought provoking, if a little intangible. While his style isn’t totally up my alley, I really love the the way he approaches his goals for the book.
Godin writes to people in a corporate “factory driven” world. According to him, our culture has been designed to make us good at our jobs and to do what people tell us. Our culture is designed to turn us into workers, our personality left at home, with a replaceable skill set. Good at our jobs, but always replaceable. I would agree with him in the fact that this indeed is what, up until this point, employers have largely looked for in their employees.
However, in a book that starts out by focusing on the “worker”, he ironically talks more about art than he does about work. He argues that in today’s changing economy those who are truly indispensible (Linchpins, as he calls them), aren’t merely great at their jobs, they’re artists.
As I said, a little intangible, especially for those in low paying jobs in factories and coffee shops. However, the more I think about the topic the more I realize it’s true.
In today’s economy blooming organizations thrive on these types of people. I go to Starbucks not because the coffee is great, although that helps, I go because I know I’ll be leaving with a smile on my face. Their Barista’s not only serve up a mean latte, they also treat their job as art, going above and beyond their duties, being creative in their interactions. If you own a Macintosh computer, you’ve experienced the same thing any time you call into customer support, or gone to see a Genius at an Apple store. Google hires hundreds of these types of people to work at it’s HQ. Have you seen any youtube videos of Google headquarters? Watch this.
I’ve always approached any of my jobs with everything I’ve got, Godin’s definition around that really has helped to crystallize some thoughts and given me some intentional questions I can ask myself moving forward. I’m fortunate enough to be part of a great organizaion and to have a broad range of responsibility.
How can I be an artist is the tasks I take on?
How can I be an artist when relating to my co-workers?
How can I be an artist in my interactions with the people I lead and serve with?
Going somewhere Godin hasn’t gone in his book, how can I be an artist at home, with my wife? How can I go the extra mile for her?
Surprisingly, another value I’ve noticed Godin holds high finds itself mirrored biblically. Be faithful with what you have. No matter where you find yourself, whether a CEO or a gas station employee, be faithful with what you have. Approach your job with a fervor and artistry that is beyond expectations, and no matter where you are placed you will become a game changer.
Or, as Godin is so fond of saying, a Linchpin.
