Realest Ate Miami

Random musings about my passions, my observations, and my love/hate relationship with the place that I call home.

A book review (why not?) | Linchpin by Seth Godin



Seth Godin's sh!t doesn't stink. It can't. Not after writing his latest and greatest, at least.
 
Let's start with the title. Wikipedia defines a linchpin as a fastener used to prevent a wheel or other rotating part from sliding off the axle it is riding on - a great analogy for the subtitle and the question Godin (can I call you Seth?) attempts to answer for you in 236 pages: "Are You Indispensable?". Hold that thought for a second.

According to Seth, there used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labor. A third team, however, has prevailed: the linchpins. Linchpins, he argues, are those people who invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, makes things happen, and create order out of chaos.

In short, linchpins are the essential building blocks of any great organization, the ones with no job description. Why? They solve problems that others haven't predicted, see things others haven't seen, and make connections no one knew existed. A job description or a manual can never describe what they do. Linchpins don't sit around and wait for job assignments from the top. They have a knack for knowing what needs to be done and just do it. No permission necessary.

Creating art (Seth defines an artist as "anyone who uses bravery, insight, creativity, and boldness to fight the status quo"), and fighting the resistance and the lizard brain are the broader themes throughout the book.

One particular chapter, however, stood out for me.

The Powerful Culture of Gifts

That's the title of the chapter that had me nodding my head in agreement the entire time. It's where Seth takes us back to the tradition of tribal economies (built around the idea of mutual support and generosity) to make a point about the power of unreciprocated gifts. "We've been so brainwashed that it doesn't even occur to us that there is an alternative to 'How much should I charge, how much can I make?'".

Hard to believe, but once upon a time, power was about giving, not receiving. Money and structured society changed the system. We expect to get without ever giving, our titles serving as a (false) sense of entitlement.

However, Seth predicts that the winners will once again be the artists who give gifts.

Giving a gift makes you indispensable. Inventing a gift, creating art - that is what the market seeks out, and the givers are the ones who earn our respect and attention. 
 
It is difficult to be generous when you're hungry. Yet being generous is what keeps you from going hungry. Hence the conflict.

Why does gift giving make you indispensable in today's world? The digital nature (think internet) of our new gift system allows us to create an idea that spreads everywhere fast at little to no cost. Ideas that resonate are rewarded. If your work persuades, others willingly share their experiences (via the tools available - think blog, facebook, twitter, yelp, foursquare, i.e. word of mouth on HGH).

You prosper.

The gift, the art, is difficult to quantify. "Artists can't be easily instructed, predicted, or measured." He's got a point. However, if you have the ability to deliver a gift that can never be adequately paid for, you're on to something. You may very well be a linchpin or on your way to becoming one.

Are you open to new ideas? Are you conscientious? Agreeable? Emotionally stable?

Are you indispensable?

Are you a linchpin?

Bonus: You can go to a local bookstore (like this one) and purchase your very own copy of Linchpin. I'm sure Seth Godin wouldn't mind. Or you can borrow my dog-eared and note-filled copy, dog-ear your own pages and write your own notes in it, and return it to me in a few days.

All you have to do is ask for it. There, my gift to you.

Bad Dog: Munchausen syndrome by proxy

Dear Sir or Madame,

I met bad dog.

I'm not sure if it's bad meaning bad or bad meaning good, but judging from the CAPITAL RED letters, I fear it's the former. You see, bad dog isn't all that bad. He's just a little confused. You told him "you're bad!" and he believed you. You told him "eres igualito a el!" (as you pointed to the sign) and he believed you.

I told him the truth. He's doing OK now. Actually, he's quite relieved.

He's no longer happy being bad.

Warm Regards,

Adrian

Too Many Choices When Opportunity Costs

Opportunities excite, but having too many choices can overwhelm us to the point where we make no decisions at all (go to aisle 5 of your local supermarket chain and see what I mean). Worse yet, having too many choices can keep us from taking positive risks ("Hmmm...I've always wanted to try the Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch" <----- while reaching for the Kellogg's Corn Flakes®).

For the record, I buy the small variety packs of cereal when I get the urge to consume copious amounts of carbohydrates and essential polyunsaturated fatty acids caused by....well...an appetite. We keeps it fresh and spontaneous like that.

The U.S. economy is currently undergoing one of the greatest (if not the greatest) transformations in its short history. The rules by which we've functioned (as an economy) are being broken and rewritten with each passing day. Ideas are brewing. New systems are emerging. Opportunity is literally everywhere.

Attempting to maximize every opportunity available, however, is a recipe for long-term failure. Identifying an opportunity doesn't necessarily mean that it needs to be acted upon. That only keeps us from investing the time necessary to be great at the one thing we're truly passionate about (10,000 hours according to Malcolm Gladwell).

Multi-tasking is dead. Being all things to all people is a thing of the past. More than ever, the new economy stands to reward those who focus their efforts on one specific niche and specialize in a specific market segment (I believe we call those "experts").

Patience, discipline, and determination are the main ingredients.

Maybe it's time we stop training for sprints and start training for marathons.

Whose panic are you?


Flickr image by star5112

It sucks when we don't have answers to important questions. We don't know what to do; we hide under the covers; we become vulnerable to disease.

It's a natural reaction. We can go ahead and blame the human psyche. We can even blame those who choose not to participate ("Dude, why aren't you worried?").

Whatever the case, not having the answer to a question shouldn't give us a free pass to stop thinking, resort to herd behavior, and stop making meaningful and productive decisions.

Emotions can be irrational sometimes. I think that's perfectly OK. Just make sure to get rid of the keyboards with the red buttons.

We won't be needing those anymore.

Brave New World

"There is nothing to fear,
but fear itself."  Franklin D. Roosevelt
The topic of fear is one that's come up more than once on my radar in the last several days. Seth Godin wrote about it on his blog a few days back. A day or two after Seth Godin's blog post I heard Rabbi Harold Kushner (of When Bad Things Happen to Good People fame) bring it up in an NPR (National Public Radio) interview. Last night I heard it, yet again, when I turned on the television (not mine, of course) to catch a glimpse of the BCS National Championship Game and one of the 1,954 talking heads on one of the 749 cable news networks mentioned the word.

I Was Scared

I sat in a cubicle for many years. As a matter of fact, it probably looks a lot like the one you're sitting in right now. The powers that used to be used to ask me to think outside the box while sitting inside of one. I couldn't understand it. So I left.

Yeah, I left a comfy government job at the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser's Office.

Yeah, I left a job that I used to show up to everyday at the same time, take a break everyday at the same time, have lunch everyday at the same time, take another break everyday at the same time, and leave everyday at the same time.

Yeah, I left a job that I rarely had to wake up for on Saturdays and never had to wake up for on Sundays.

Yeah, I left a job where I had all legal holidays off and where my expectations were to sit behind a desk from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. Producing ideas, improving processes, and empowering others to make decisions was not required. Actually, ideas, creating processes, training, and teaching produces work, so that was highly discouraged.

Are You Out of Your Mind?

I was told by many that I was crazy. I got it from colleagues. I got it from friends. I got it from frenemies. I got it from strangers. I got it from my hair stylist. I got it, I got it, I got it.

I was told that people would kill for a job like mine. I was told that a government job was recession proof. I was told that I would live to regret it. I was told, I was told, I was told.

"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." Napoleon Bonaparte

Mainstream media and other powers that be (who shall remain nameless) have done an excellent job of having us play word association with the faces of Middle Eastern males and the word "fear". Most people think of fear as something created by hateful men who hate this country and everything it stands for. The fear associated with that thought, arguably exaggerated and overblown, is real nonetheless (read: Christmas Day).

However, that's not the fear that worries me these days. I don't think we'll be seeing nuclear bunkers reminiscent to the ones witnessed by those who lived through the Cold War anytime soon. At least I hope we never do.

The fear that concerns me is the one created by those who read the headlines, repeat buzz words, and then misinform and miseducate. The fear that concerns me is the one created by those who choose to listen to opinions and are confused by the facts. The fear that concerns me is the one created by unchecked emotions and preconceived notions. The fear that concerns me is the one created by those who tell you that you can't do it when they never did it.

Fear is not a giant living in the mountainous terrains of Afghanistan. It's something that exists in our everyday lives. It's in the office. It's at the gym. It's at the coffee shop. It's at the lunch spot. It's in our homes.

Fear lasts longer, but love is stronger. You have nothing to fear and a whole lot to love.

Why not start loving today?

2010 & Beyond: The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

By now, you've swallowed the only grapes you'll eat all year (seedless, I hope), trekked around the block with your neighbor's Samsonite, and safely placed the 10 mm AUTO Glock back in its holster.

A new beginning has commenced.

While we ceremoniously close the curtain on the first decade of the 21st century and look forward to what lies ahead, it's important to look back at the two decades that preceded before we do our best to emulate Walter Mercado. Let's face it, the internet changed our lives forever. The 1990's brought us the evolution of the world wide web. Email replaced the fax machine in many ways. It replaced paper, pen, and the telephone in ways we would have never imagined possible. The latter half of the past decade (the 00's) witnessed how social media (Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, blogs, all things Google, etc.) further changed not only the way we communicate and interact with each other, but more importantly, how it expanded the reach and influence of the individual. We no longer depend (or have to) on ABC, NBC, CBS, Univision, and The Miami Herald for information. Traditional media no longer controls the message. The average Joe (or Jose, depending on where you live) with a Flip can.

As we head into The Thank You Economy, an economy that thanks and rewards those who share intellectual property and educate for FREE, it's important to note that having the prettiest website and optimizing it to place first on Google for whatever search term tickles the owner's pickle alone will not be enough. Heck, talent alone is not enough. Being the valedictorian of your high school and placing Magna Cum Laude at Florida International University means shit. The colorful cords you walked down the aisle with over your gown? Use them as jump ropes. Better yet, keep 'em handy in case frustration at your corporate rat race sets in. 

Passion, hard work, and outhustling the competitor is "the play" in the coming decade. Come to think of it, that's always been "the play" no matter if it was a typewriter or a MacBook being used. Stop waiting, stop whining, stop complaining, stop wishing, and start doing. Opportunity is everywhere. It is our obligation to our generation and the ones that follow to be great. It is our obligation to push ourselves and those around us to show gratitude, compassion, and inspire. It is our obligation not to choose mediocrity. It is our obligation not to accept unethical behavior. It is our obligation not to allow social injustice.

The choice is ours. Only we can choose to put down the TiVo remote, the Xbox 360 paddles, and the Rock Band® guitar and get to work.

Good luck and Happy New Year.