First,
To add to your discussion points for the first reading assignment of Seth Godin's Linchpin, leave at least one concept, idea, observation, or quote you agree with and leave one that you disagree with. Please support each one.
Of course, you can leave more than one response to garner addition points.
I agree with the idea that emotional work is just as or more important than physical work. When a person brings passion and energy to work, it may increase the production of the business. The whole place can improve, and someones day can be made if you do the emotional work.
ReplyDeleteWhen one person loves what they're doing and they're passionate, it's infectious. Everyone feeds off of that persons energy.
DeleteI agree, if a person brings passion and energy to their job they become the best in the world. The whole environment changes and people's attitudes are changed for the better.
DeleteI agree with Alex, if someone is doing emotional work it not only can bring passion and energy to the workplace, but they can inspire others to follow them and be inspired. If someone can make others inspired it becomes easier for them to accomplish their goals because they have other passionate people working with them.
DeleteI agree with Alex. If you don't show that you are passionate about what you do, you are not inspiring others to do better work and you are most likely not doing your best work either.
DeleteTotally agree with Alex. If you have passion and energy it is infectious. You inspire other people to be passionate. The way you look at things can totally affect the way you think and act.
DeleteI agree! For me, inspiration comes from people that have a passion for what they are doing. If someone's not passionate about their work, then chances are that their physical work won't be up to par either.
DeleteOne idea that Godin talks about is emotional work. I agree that when people bring passion to their work they do it better. People give their all when they really care and do good work simply because they want to.
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DeleteTotally agree. When someone is truly passionate about their job and care, they will want to be there. They will make the best at whatever happens at their job.
DeleteHonestly, I didn't agree with much that Godin said, but the overall theme of making yourself essential in order to insure your usefulness to an employer seemed worthwhile. However, his misuse of the word 'art' bugged me to no end, and many concepts detailed in linchpin (diversifying, etc) contradicted Godin's earlier work, The Dip (Where it encourages specializing entirely).
ReplyDeleteThe way he treated art as anything in the world that fit his point did seem a little odd.
DeleteThe fact that he is kind of contradicting himself on ideas that are pretty important doesn't make much sense to me.
DeleteWhat don't you like about the way he defines 'art'?
DeleteI think what Godin means by art is basically not following the status quo, and following a set of rules. At least I think that a person who can step outside that little box can get more opportunities to stand out.
DeleteI agree with some of the things that Godin say, but I think some of his examples are exaggerated. For instance, the McDonalds employee who gives a refund for a shake with a big mac in it seems ridiculous. No matter how unremarkable you are, you would know not to give a refund for that.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, I've tried. Just kidding, but I have seen a lady drop what was left of her fries on the floor on purpose to try and get more. She didn't get more.
DeleteI also think that most of his examples aren't realistic. I feel like he made a bunch of them up.
DeleteTotally agree that he exaggerates his examples and they seem out of this world. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the cook didn't put the half eaten burger in the milkshake.
DeleteI agree that the McDonalds example was extreme. I actually laughed out loud when I read it. What kind of employee would give a refund for that?
DeleteA question that Godin asks on page 31 is will we still be loved? If we become irreplaceable, we may not be loved anymore. The people who loved you before may become jealous of you, or maybe angry because your outperforming them. Other people will love you though, and the reasons will be different than before. They will love you because you bring everything you can to what you do and you're passionate. "But (and I know it's a big but) either those people will come around, or they never loved you in the first place, did they?"
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more when he says that all that life as been is conformity for most people. All people do is listen to the machine because that's they way they think life should be. It shouldn't be that way. Life isn't about being some pointless, brainwashed person getting by until they die. It's a waste of life if you don't change it before you leave.
ReplyDeleteI agreed with Godin about people who care about their work. They're passionate and make their work better. People are able to focus entirely on one thing that they care about, which allows them to improve their work.
ReplyDeleteI found the idea that what you do doesn't have to be like curing cancer. The man at his coffee shop was a linchpin when he interacted with all of his customers and was always cheerful. That kind of attitudes is the sort of thing that makes peoples day. He was indispensable because of the way he affected others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Godin when he say's that people try to spend less time doing work and more time doing art. I know that I personally try to finish my homework as fast as I can and just get it done with, unless I am actually engaged in the project. In 10th grade I did a group project in AP US History, and since it was engaging, we ended up putting a lot of time into it because we wanted to and made a pretty cool presentation.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree that employers are all looking for linchpins. Godin says that linchpins are indispensable, and I don't think that many bosses would want an employee that they couldn't do without. I'm sure that some employers will hire linchpins, but I'm guessing that most would rather hire a bunch of cheap, easily replaceable workers.
I agree. If a worker is a linchpin, then they have leverage over the boss, which is the last thing the boss wants. But, at the same time, if that worker truly is a linchpin, I don't think that they'd have to a whole lot of persuading to get what they want/need from their boss.
DeleteOne idea that I agree with is the idea that we are "culturally brainwashed" to obey. We are taught that certain things in school are right, and some are wrong. As soon as someone breaks that cycle, they are questioned. Our society is changing so much, so you can't question an idea about how to evolve with it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with turner. Our culture is taught to not question the things that work. They are taught to settle with average. If something works, why question it? Well because we can find a way to do it better, or maybe we realize that we can do it an entirely different way. We are afraid of change, but change is what pushes innovation.
DeleteI agree. We are definitely not encouraged to pave our own path in school. There are obviously exceptions like this class.
DeleteYa. Conformity. They turn us into what they want us to be beginning when we are born. I believe that's why there are so few extraordinary people compared to average people. They make it hard for us to be different and do something other than the norm.
DeleteI agree with Turner. I also agree with Godin when he says the days of factory work are over. My question than is, why are schools still teaching us this way? We have more technology and tools than ever before and everything is evolving. Why are the school systems still stuck in the 1900s?
DeleteI agree with the "Give yourself a D" concept. It says that if you challenge the status quo, and the stereotypical teacher gives you a D. Then take that well earned D, because you pushed innovation further. You pushed the envelope, and yourself. Don't earn the grade because you are not good at it, or because you are lazy. Earn it because you challenged something that other people don't want to be challenged.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the "Who are you trying to please?" concept. It states that if you seek out critics, bureaucrats, and by-the-book bosses you will end up pleasing them. Where that cannot be true. It will be true if you conform to the status quo, if you do what your told and don't ask questions. But a linchpin doesn't do what he is told. A linchpin always challenges the status quo, and he will not let a by-the-book boss try to tell him otherwise. He is not intimidated by the thought of getting a D. He accepts that D, and moves onto find people who appreciate the value of a linchpin.
I agree with Godin's idea of making your self indispensable to your employer and emotional work. I think these two ideas go hand in hand. In order to make yourself valuable to your employer you need to passionate and truly care about the work you are doing. If you do this your work is going to be remarkable because it is what you love and it isn't really work. I believe the people who do the best work are the ones who put their name and reputation on their products.
ReplyDeleteReply to "If you do this your work is going to be remarkable because it is what you love and it isn't really work."
DeleteDo you have to love what you do to be a linchpin?
I disagreed with Godin about the only things that schools should teach are solving interesting problems and leading. If we are taught to just do these things how are we going to be able to solve those interesting problems if we don't have any information on it? People find different things interesting so we are going to need to know a variety of things to solve those interesting problems.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nick on this one. We still need to know some facts. It might not be fun but it is useful. Things are good in moderation. I agree that we can integrate some more ways of learning, but if we only do it the new way we can lose old information.
DeleteI agree with Nick to disagree with Godin. We still need to be taught the basic skills and be knowledgeable to be able to understand what is happening around us.
DeleteI don't agree that everyone should do this. There has to be some average people out there turning the wheels of conformity to keep everyday life moving. We need people who are day laborers and the like. That being said, I feel bad for those people. They don't get the most out of life. The good thing is they are stable and okay. Overall, I believe the world wouldn't turn if we didn't have average, low-wage, low-productivity workers.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but people can be linchpins even at a "factory job". It is all in the attitude just like Deloris at 7Eleven.
DeleteBut yes, we can all be innovators.
Delete*can't
DeleteI agree with Wyatt, not everyone can rise to the level of being a linchpin and get promoted to CEO. But Wade has a very good point, linchpins can be at any job. If you are the friendliest, most personable worker your company has, you will bring more customers and revenue.
DeleteI agree with all of you. Not everyone can become a CEO or big time money maker for the work they do, we still need the low income workers. But on the other side of that, like Wade said, even low income workers can be remarkable at what they do. Take for example the video we watched in class today, and the worker at the gas station (the coffee one), she was probably and average income worker. But her kindness made her remarkable and she made connections with her customers which makes her a linchpin. Linchpins don't have to be high income money makers!
DeleteI understand what Godin is saying on page 34 with, "In a factory, doing a job that's not yours is dangerous. Now, if you're a linchpin, doing a job that's not getting done is essential". Linchpins need to go above and beyond, and if someone isn't doing their job, they need to help pick up the slack. But at the same time, if the linchpin is constantly picking up the slack for those who aren't doing any work, then those people will just let the linchpin do it for them. They will start to use the linchpin as a means of getting out of their own work. The linchpin has to do their work as well, and if that starts to suffer, they're the ones who get in trouble. I agree with them picking up some of the slack, but they can't do it all. If the others continue to slack after the linchpins already helped out, the linchpin has to move on and focus on their work. It's not their problem to deal with; it's the employers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this because if a linchpin is supposed to pick up the slack of other workers, how is the linchpin supposed to keep up with his work?
DeleteI disagree with Godin when he says cogs are useless. We need cogs to be able to stand out. He mentions we all have the potential but in reality not everyone does and thats what makes the world a unique place.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jake's second paragraph. I think the best way to succeed and make money as a business is to hire Linchpins along with easily replaceable workers. If the idea of a linchpin is that it is the person that holds everything together and brings something different and exciting to the workplace, then how would hiring all linchpins work? If you have a few linchpins that all the workers take after, than you don't need to only look for linchpins.
ReplyDeleteOne thing Godin seems to emphasize in this book is that if you don't find something you are passionate about and make yourself a Linchpin you will never be happy. Although I think it is vital to make yourself indispensable, I disagree that you will never be happy if you don't find something you are passionate about. I think your passion of your work can find you, and for the most part your job is what you make of it, even if it isn't exactly what you love. I think Deloris from 7-Eleven is a great example of this. Working at a gas station probably wasn't her life long dream, but she is an excellent employee and is the sole reason that particular 7-Eleven is so successful. She is a Linchpin.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with his idea that we are taught to fit in. Other than the few exceptions, teachers are set out to teach us to follow rules, not to challenge authority, etc. It's doing us no good, especially when some people need to stand out. Some people are complete braniacs in math, but couldn't draw a bottle to save their lives. We all thrive in different things, but school wants us to blend and fit in.
ReplyDeleteI agree. We are all different for a reason. We are all good at certain things and we shouldn't be taught to fit in. How boring would the world be if we all blended together and fit in?
DeleteI like the quote, "Stop settling for what's good enough and start creating art that matters. Stop asking what's in it for you and start giving gifts that change people. Then, and only then, will you have achieved your potential." If we keep settling for what is good enough we will never know how truly great we can be, we can't just keep sitting around following instructions, we have to get out of our comfort zones and be an artist. Each of us has something different to give.
ReplyDeleteI also like this quote. Who wants to settle for being good enough? Once you stop asking your self what's in it for and just go out and do something, you will then start to create art that matters. For example, I am involved in Key CLub.. There is really nothing in it for me. Key CLub is all about giving back to the community and helping make a difference in someones life. There isn't always going to be something in it for us, that's not how life works. Like chelsey said though, we all have something to give. Find out what you have to give and give.
DeleteI don't think we've necessarily been taught not to care about customers or our job. I think there are positive and negative people out there. Some just have to courage and will to embrace it and make the best of the situation. Not everyone likes there jobs. It's your attitude that will determine whether you will treat people decently, not necessarily whoever taught us.
ReplyDeleteAn idea that I agreed with is the idea that anyone can become great in the work that they are emotionally connected to through their passion, and creativity, because it is what they care about and will be passionate about doing for as long as they are doing it. And those qualities will help them become more important in the lives of other people around them.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the topic of not bringing a resume when going in for a job interview on page 71, because I think that it is important to have that list of "reasons not to hire you" as the book puts it, so that you have the chance to defend yourself and really explain why YOU deserve this job and that its not your accomplishments that deserve the job..
I agree with Godin when he says that we should not have resumes. If we instead showed things more creative and amazing, it would set us apart from other people. Then who wouldn't want to hire you? The only bad thing about it you would have to show all your talents when you did you creative thing, showcasing all the things you can do, instead of showing all the things you can not do.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Godin when he says school is teaching the wrong thing. They are teaching us (kids) to obey the rules and do everything we are told. They are teaching us that failing at anything is bad. Schools should be teaching us to be indispensable and do everything we can to solve new, out of the box problems. They should be teaching us to be the best in the world at what we want to be.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I really agree with Godin's comparison between being good at school and being good at frisbee. He says that unless you stay in school forever, being good at homework assignments and remembering facts about subjects means nothing. Which makes sense. However, I think that so much of our society's idea of success is based on how well we do in school, so I do think it's important to do well in school. How are we supposed to get to the next level, college or career, if we aren't doing well in school? The people who decide whether or not we get accepted can't base their decisions off anything but our performance. I'm definitely not saying the only way to be successful is doing well in school, but I think doing well in school opens up doors that can lead to success, and it shouldn't be disregarded as something as unimportant as being a good frisbee thrower.
ReplyDeleteI like Godin's list of things that school teaches us (page 45). It's a pretty accurate list and looking at it makes me realize how unimportant, even wrong, some of the things we are learning in school are. For example, don't ask questions and don't challenge authority. I think we should be learning the opposite. We really are being taught to be average.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this! They expect us to stand out when it comes to discussions in class, but any other time in class we are restricted from talking. (Only some classes, most classes not so much).
DeleteI disagree when Godin talks about fear in school. Not every classroom has fear and hard standardized tests. Some classrooms are very laid back and easy going. It is just the type of environment you enter and what you take from it.
ReplyDeleteI agree when the book talks about the boss's lie. He uses a couple of example of what boss's say they want (cheap, do what their told, and doesn't give them a hard time). But at the end of it he says what they really want is a Linchpin. And it is true, if the employee follows all of the boss's requisites PLUS is hardworking and goes beyond what is expected, then they will be considered a linchpin. I mean who wouldn't want a linchpin working for them? The only risky part of it is if they decide the job isn't for them anymore, then what happens when they lose that person? They would be hard to replace!
ReplyDeleteI disagree when Godin talks about fear in schools (like Jessi). Sure we get some teachers who just bore us to death and make us obey every instruction. But not every teacher or school is like that. In fact, Lincoln has very few teachers who are that strict and create fear. Luckily Lincoln has provided a welcoming environment that has granted us several opportunities that let us step outside that fear zone. They prepare us for our future and if we take what they are trying to teach us, then we shouldn't have that type of fear in our school. So Godin is wrong to say that fear is in the schools because there are some schools that strive for remarkable students, academically and personality wise.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Godin when he talks about how school is teaching us the wrong things. Godin has a huge list of things that teachers are teaching us that they shouldn't be. Teachers are teaching us to not ask questions and to do the minimum amount of work required so that you'll have enough time to work on something else. Who wants to settle for the doing the minimum when you can go above and beyond and do your best in a certain subject or assignment? Teachers should want you to do your best at every subject, not settle for the minimum amount required. Even though I may have a lot of homework one night or may be busy with other things, I try my to do my best at every subject. Godin says that teachers should be teaching us, solve interesting problems and lead. Yeah we might still need to know some of the basic skills, but these are two things that we actually do need to be taught.
ReplyDeleteLike a couple other people, I also disagree when Godin talks about fear in schools. School hasn't drilled drilled fear into us. Teachers don't make us fear getting a bad grade or failing a class. Sure they want us to get the best grade possible, but they don't make us fear a class. None of the teachers that I have had at Lincoln have created fear within me. Like shelby said, Lincoln is very welcoming. Anywhere you go in that school, there is a teacher who is welcoming. If anything, school should be the one place you shouldn't fear. Godin is wrong when he says that drill, practice, and fear are powerful tools that teachers should have.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree when Godin says we have been taught to consume as a shortcut to happiness because in our society, it is portrayed that material items lead to happiness. It's "retail therapy", like when moms take their daughters shopping if their boyfriend breaks up with them, or when a guy buys a big truck during his midlife crisis. These things are known to make people "happy". They bring a person temporary happiness, but that doesn't last for long. Money does not buy us happiness, even though that is what we are told. It doesn't now, and it never will.
ReplyDeleteI love the part where he says once someone in your town has a car, you have to have one too, and once your friend has three pair of shoes, you needed to get more, too. That is exactly how society works today. Once someone has something a little bit better than you, you feel the need to match, or one up them.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I don't want to disagree with Godin's statement "very few of us set out to be average or to be typical", I have to. I believe that from a young age kids look up to their parents, no matter what. More and more young kids are seeing their parents not go to college and work in fast food restaurants. They see their parents and think that if they turn out like them, they will be just fine. They will get by. I believe that the lack of motivation in parents rubs off to their children and makes them not achieve anything above average.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Godin when he talks about people and working for something they're passionate about and care strongly for. It only makes complete sense that if you are fully involved in and are focused on a certain subject of your choice, that you will succeed more quickly and easily.
ReplyDeleteSomething I disagree with is Godin statement that they should only teach two things in school:
ReplyDelete1. Solve interesting problems
2. Lead
Yes, these are two important things to be taught, but what about all of the other life skills that school gives us? Maybe he still is meaning for those to be taught along with these two main points, but then he probably should have stated that as well. School leaves us with stronger communication skills and also gives us more experience of responsibility. Teachers, and school in general, teach us these things without even knowing it.
I like the quote right away where he says, "Stress is skyrocketing." This couldn't be more true. In today's society we are so pressured to be doing the right things at the right time according to everyone else's standards. I'm only in high school, and I'm already feeling the pressure. Keeping up with classes, choosing the right college, and just school in general is more than enough to stress a kid out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with him when he says that the school system needs to change, I've been saying that same thing for a while now. It needs to change for many different reason, and one he discusses is this: our schools are raising factory workers instead of linchpins. Teaching students to be factory workers in a society that's in need of linchpins is idiotic. The demand has changed and so should the schools. If they don't, they will continue to send students into the world without the tools they need. What is the point of school if it doesn't prepare you for the future?
ReplyDeleteI disagree with him when he says, "People want to be told what to do because they are afraid (petrified) of figuring it out for themselves." I agree that they want directions, but I don't agree with him because I don't think they want directions only because they are afraid. I think that they have been raised with rules and obedience and as a result are afraid of doing something wrong. They are afraid to figure it out for themselves because they don't want to get in trouble, or be ridiculed, because they didn't do it "right."