I just started reading Seth Godin’s new book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
The linchpin is an individual who can walk into chaos and create order, someone who can invent, connect, create, and make things happen. Every worthwhile institution has indispensable people who make differences like these.
The ‘linchpin’ concept becomes even more intriguing when you look up the literal meaning of the word. The photo below is of a real linchpin, which Wikipedia defines as “a fastener used to prevent a wheel or other rotating part from sliding off the axle it is riding on.”
Merriam-Webster gives another enlightening definition: “one that serves to hold together parts or elements that exist or function as a unit.” By these two characterizations, if you’re essential to holding your organization together – if you’re the glue, the rainmaker – you might already see yourself as a linchpin for your nonprofit.
The themes in Seth’s book resonate very strongly with me as a young nonprofit leader and consultant because it’s about how to change the way we work – how we approach it, how we do it and how we feel about it. It’s mostly about how to become indispensable in your job, but it’s also about how to inject passion and love and artistry in what you do at work, even if it’s just answering the phones at the reception desk. So, being a nonprofit linchpin is not only about becoming indispensable to your organization, but how to enjoy the journey as part of your mission to make a difference.
In my opinion, Linchpin is going to be one of the most powerful “career books” of 2010. The ideas apply to all industries, but holds special relevance for those of us in the nonprofit sector. So I’ll likely be doing some follow-up posts on this theme as I dig deeper into the concepts. Have you read it yet? How do you think Seth’s book applies to nonprofit leaders? Are you a nonprofit linchpin?
Image credit: Wikipedia
