I highly suggest you read the book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin.
And let me tell you something: you want to be a
Linchpin. In a nut shell, if you
are great at what you do … you will become an artist. Artists are unique and cannot easily be replaced,
copied or outsourced.
In the book, Godin says it’s time we stop mindlessly complying
with the system – or being a cog – and start creating our own maps (ways of
doing things and uniquely solving problems). We all have art to create, and the
longer we spend our time solely following other peoples’ rules, the bigger of a
hole we’re digging for ourselves. If your entire job can be penned out in a manual, you
are replaceable. If you ever catch yourself saying, “not my job,” you are not a
linchpin. If you do
everything your boss tells you, no less and no more, you’ll be one of the first
to go when the company downsizes.
If you make some decisions without asking for permission,
use your creativity while producing, and ship assignments only you are capable of doing, then you are
indispensable. You must become
indispensable to thrive in the new economy.
This book is required reading for anyone that wants to
succeed in todays ever-changing workforce. It’s thoughtful, it holds your hand through the steps of
becoming indispensable, and it’s reassuring. Seth says, “You have brilliance in you, your contribution is
valuable, and the art you create is precious.”
