By the time you read this article, there will undoubtedly have been way more than 6,000 people who’ve attended Linchpin Meetups all over the world. I attended my first such event in Columbus, OH, on June 14 — The First International Linchpin Meetup Day.
Meetups allow people to form groups with like-minded individuals.
But what is the ONE REASON you should attend a Linchpin Meetup in your area?
EASY ANSWER . . .
You will meet, mingle with, and befriend some exciting artists who are changing the world.
Introducing Columbus Ohio Linchpins
Janine Moon
Janine’s art shows how careers are shaped and developed to better align with the 21st century workplace.
“More than merely employees, organizations need partners — workers who align themselves with strategic direction and dance with the changes of a global economy.”
Her model of Career Ownership is a leading-edge approach to creating a “win-win” for today’s organizations and workers. Janine”s Linchpin delights?
“Career Ownership is a map for going after the Work that is your Art. I love that my new model for 21st century careers is right in line with how Seth Godin sees the world.”
URLs: http://careerowners.wordpress.com; http://workforcechange.com/careerownership
[In the photo above, Janine is on left and I’m on right]
Randy Murray
“I fully connected with being an artist and giving first. I’ve embraced being on my own and this book is one I’ll be giving to friends.”
Randy helps businesses and organizations tell stories that convince and sell. He writes materials that pierce the complexity and that present people, companies, and products in a way that’s easy to understand, and more importantly, compelling and entertaining. Over more than 25 years, he’s developed a unique approach to business marketing that’s based on business need, technical clarity, and skilled and practiced writing. Randy’s website: Who Writes For You
Matt Herrmann
“The biggest thing I take away from Seth overall is the desire TO DO. Instead of merely being pulled along, it’s the act of doing or striving towards a goal. And I love it! I also love that Seth responds back to my emails.”
Me in two sentences: (1) Style meets sustainability. The problem is that sustainable items are either too expensive or look awful, Conservance is my attempt to change that: Matt’s website (2) “The one who acts with restraint and wisdom, who chooses to allow others freedom, is truly the strongest of men.”
[Matt designed t-shirts just for the meetup]
Kim Hendrix
Ship! Be an artist, too, but ship my work. Nothing is more important to my ultimate effectiveness at helping make the world a better place for all.
Mary Rose Maguire
Real Artists Ship!
Bootstrap Graphic helps small businesses and entrepreneurs design their unique selling proposition. She does this through brand identity, visual and multi-media design, and communications.
Srinvasa Kalindindi
Linchpin is not one word, but many lessons. It teaches how basic aspects of discipline and perserverance can be tied up with any individual’s goals. To be a linchpin is to lead the life you want. It’s not about things — money or other materialistic-oriented accomplishments. It’s about Passion, Results, and Making A Difference.
Glenn Sewell
“My biggest take-away is that any of us can be an ‘artist.’ We can learn to do anything.”
[Glenn Sewell on left and Brian Lockrey on right]
Wendy Hollinger
“I’ve allowed a portion of my business to be commoditized, which can only contribute to a “race to the bottom.” We’re Problem Solvers, and that is worth more than a day’s pay — something definitely worth promoting.”
Wendy is a creative problem solver who enjoys connecting people. Her business, Phoenix Graphix, has provided exceptional design, marketing, and publishing services for over 20 years.
Benjamin Atkinson – Meetup Organizer
From my conversations with Linchpins at the Columbus Meetup, I see a group of folks who’ve taken Seth Godin’s message to heart. They’ve been given permission to ‘ship’ and they’re on their way. This is dangerous for established companies and industries that prefer the status quo. Many would prefer these Linchpins keep their head down and do a ‘normal’ job. Too late. To Linchpins, work has become their art and art has historically been a powerful rebellion.
MY OWN TAKE-AWAY NOTES
Here is just a “taste” of Seth’s ideas for our Brave New World
1 – The only way to get what you’re worth is to stand out, to exert emotional labor, to be seen as indispensable, and to produce interactions that organizations and people care deeply about.
2 – Linchpins turn each day into a kind of art.
3 – The death of the factory means the entire system we have built our lives around is now upside down.
4 – The linchpin is an individual who can walk into chaos and create order, someone who can invent, connect, create, and make things happen.
5 – The new dream isn’t about obedience; it’s about vision and engagement.
6 – You weren’t born to be a cog in a wheel; you were trained.
7 – We are surrounded by bureaucrats, note-takers, literalists, manual readers, TGIF laborers, map followers, and fearful employees.
8 – What factory owners want is compliant, low-paid, replaceable cogs to run their efficient machines.
9 – Outsourcing, automation, and new marketing punish anyone who is merely good, merely obedient, and merely reliable.
10 -People want to be told what to do because they are petrified of figuring it out for themselves.
11 -The NEW AMERICAN DREAM: Be remarkable. Be generous. Create art. Make judgment calls. Connect people and ideas.
12-If you are a linchpin, doing the job that’s not getting done is essential.
13- In a world that relentlessly races to the bottom, the only way to win is to race to the top.
14- Being taught to “fit in” does not earn you what you deserve.
15- Here’s what schools should teach: taking initiative, becoming remarkable artists, questioning the status quo, and interacting with transparency.
CONCLUSION TO THE BEGINNING NOTES: Linchpins see the truth, understand the situation, and make things happen.
Now get a copy of the book and read more about (a) art, (b) gifts, (c) emotional labor, (d) attention, (e) passion, (f) feedback, (g) jobs vs. art, (h) edge of the box, (i) lizard brains, (j) shipping, and (k) success
Then put in your own two cents: If you’ve also read Seth’s book, what did Linchpin mean to you?
FURTHER READING: 7 abilities of the Linchpin