Linchpin by Seth Godin is a book that will make you think differently about the way you do business - either as an owner or an employee. In this video I touch on the differences between Linchpin and The E-Myth by Michael Gerber and how the ideas in both can be applied to build a business that creates and thrives on indispensable employees.
I think that you still want to turn your business into a system as Michael Gerber suggests in the E-Myth, but the nature of that system now needs to change to enable your employees to become indispensable as Seth Godin suggests in Linchpin. You no longer want to create a system that gives your employees a list of things to do in every conceivable situation. What you want to do is create a system that gives your employees the power to be human so that they can create memorable experiences for your customers.
Instead of setting up your hiring system to train your H.R. people to search out people with certain qualifications on a resume, empower them to search out good people first. Basic skills and product knowledge are easy to teach, but it's not as easy to teach someone how to be a good person. Your H.R. people might ask you what qualities make up a good person. Tell them that's up to them to decide. That's where the art comes in. You can't define a good person, you'll just have to trust that your H.R. staff can identify good people when they see them and find a position for them to do good stuff in.
You can't train your employees how to be helpful in every situation. But what you can do is create a system that enables them to say something other than "that's our policy" when something comes up. Encouraging people to act like human beings can still be a system, the rules just aren't as rigid.
So in closing, I'd suggest that you don't read this book unless you are willing to challenge the way you think about work, giving, art, and building a successful company. If you're not willing to think about things differently and pursue change, this book will just waste your time.
3 comments:
Your Linchpin book review was enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed the contrasting of it to the work of Michael Gerber in The E-Myth Revisited. Like you, I am a great fan of both Gerber and Godin. I have also encouraged everyone I know to read both books.
When I read Godin's comments about the systems suggestions of Gerber, I was quite concerned. I think he has failed to understand Gerber's position on managing people and how people relate to systems.
Now, that is not unusual because many people attribute things to Gerber that he doesn't actually say, except occasionally in humor. Gerber does not suggest that you hire the average village idiot. What I think he says is that you want to hire average people who can be trained to run exceptional systems and who can grow to improving the systems and serving customers by effectively implementing the systems.
People read his comments on systems in the chapter on systems. However, they never seem to match that up with the chapter on people.
Chapter 9, Your People Strategy, describes what he feels employees need:
"What most people need, then, is a place of community that has purpose, order, and meaning."
"A place in which 'being' human is a prerequisite, but 'acting' human is essential."
"A place where the generally disorganized thinking that pervades our culture becomes organized and clearly focused on a specific worthwhile result."
"A place where discipline and will become prized for what they are: the backbone of enterprise and action, of being what you are intentionally instead of accidentally."
In my mind, I believe you are right to trust both Gerber and Godin. I also think they are saying the same thing about the worth of individuals. They just don't have their entire books summarized on a single page that tells it all.
Thanks for a great post.
Shallie Bey
Smarter Small Business Blog
Wow! Thanks for the incredibly insightful comment Shallie!
It's really all about context. Seth takes part of what Gerber talks about and makes it work to prove his points. Gerber could probably do the same thing by taking what Seth talks about and twisting it to fit his agenda.
Thanks so much again for watching and leaving such a great comment!
Sean, thank you for your very kind words.
Shallie
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