I have to admit I wasn't anxious to read another Seth Godin book. I felt as if I already knew what he'd be saying, because I have read almost all his other books, and even been in one of them (he crowdsourced it). But listening to Linchpin has changed my mind. Now I not only want to read it, I want to give copies of it to other people I know.
While Linchpin does belabor its thesis (I think it was probably a series of small pieces) its major point is one that has emerged from the past two years of economic turmoil: the world we were all educated for has vanished.
You may have already noticed this in your own life: college grads can't get jobs; workers with years of service at the same company were laid off; white collar and professional jobs in accounting, radiology, and finance have been outsourced and off-shored. In many ways, the only people who were safe were the people who worked for themselves in the first place.
Most people think this sucks, and have become bitter and disillusioned about the American dream. Godin thinks it's an opportunity: the creative genius of individuals is needed more than ever, and has a greater chance of being noticed.
Godin admits that no one can expect to be paid for a job that involves just showing up — that was the industrial economy. You showed up, you did the repetitive work, you were obedient, and you were rewarded.
No more. Those jobs go to the lowest cost provider in a race to the bottom. As an example, Godin uses Amazon's Mechanical Turk, through which tedious tasks like transcription can be outsourced cheaply to a virtually unlimited supply of workers who compete to be low cost providers, working from home at their own convenience, globally 24/7.
What is rewarded? Creative, problem-solving efforts that involve "emotional labor." I love this phrase, because I know exactly what it means. It means you're working because you love what you and would do it for nothing — it's how I have always felt about advising entrepreneurs and helping companies start and grow. Emotional labor creates bonds between you and the person you work for, and it makes you a "linchpin," an indispensable part of someone's company or their life.
Emotional labor is the desire to create value, rather than the desire to avoid defects. Emotional labor is what the entrepreneurs put into their startups, the passion that engulfs their lives and makes them forget fatigue, failure, and sometimes even family.
I haven't been hearing as much about Linchpin as I should be. More people should be talking about it, and taking its message to heart. Only by contributing our emotional labor will we turn the US around.
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You will never get 'emotional labor' when you have a system in which the fruits of that labor are harvested by someone else.
Right now, unless you qualify for a government grant, if you try to start up a business you essentially wind up giving ownership of it to investors just to get the seed money.
Try to become independent and you're immediately roped back into slavery by the financial sector.
Great post Francine. Since you have suggested this is a great book to read I will be going out and picking this up tomorrow.
I can tell that you truly love what you do and I believe that your “emotional labor” in supporting our efforts have definitely added you as a linchpin in our team.
I can also tell that social media is your passion as are the people behind social media. You are adding value, so please keep it up! It's inspiring and I share the same thought as you – we need to add value rather than just believe we should get a paycheck because we showed up that day.
Keep on – keepin on!
It shows that he has studied Eastern philosophy, and I'm a sucker for
it, because that's how I live my life:-)
Great post Francine. Since you have suggested this is a great book to read I will be going out and picking this up tomorrow.nnI can tell that you truly love what you do and I believe that your “emotional labor” in supporting our efforts have definitely added you as a linchpin in our team.nnI can also tell that social media is your passion as are the people behind social media. You are adding value, so please keep it up! It’s inspiring and I share the same thought as you – we need to add value rather than just believe we should get a paycheck because we showed up that day.nnKeep on – keepin on!nn
It shows that he has studied Eastern philosophy, and I’m a sucker forrnit, because that’s how I live my life:-)
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