I am currently in the midst of Linchpin by Seth Godin. Right there on the cover is the question, “Are you indispensable?” I often wonder if it is more important to be invaluable; or having incalculable monetary, intellectual, or spiritual worth. As opposed to being essential as is the definition for indispensable. Perhaps I am splitting hairs and I could imagine these words are somewhat interchangeable; indispensable or invaluable.
Creating value is what a few people bring to the table when it comes to employment. When I got hired at Tusco Display it was as a systems analyst, a trouble-shooter for information technology. That wasn’t enough for me, I not only wanted to go about looking for trouble, but wanted to understand why the trouble existed and how it came to be. I asked a lot of questions which can be annoying, but a necessary part of being a troubleshooter. I was very curious as to how technology fit into what goes on here. I got involved and began to find ways for technology to better serve the user not the other way around. It wasn’t until I went to night school to get my MCSE that it dawned on me that the gulf between IT and Business was not as wide as it once was, and the last two years of economic recession has proven that. If I wanted to be an integral part of the business I needed to fill the position of “go to guy”. I needed to be a trusted advisor and knowledgeable resource that outsourcing couldn’t replace.
As I continue reading Linchpin I realize that there are a bunch of people who are and who could be indispensable or invaluable to an organization. I see two big issues standing in the way of that, one is self recognition of the fact that you are or can be a linchpin. The second is there are people who are in positions that should be a linchpin and are not. How do you go about correcting a situation like that? My younger brother refers to these folks as wing nuts and I’ll explain why. In the old days I had a ’67 Impala. I was changing the air filter and had dropped the wing nut and couldn’t find it so I replaced it with a regular hex nut. My brother pointed out that I didn’t miss that wing nut at all as it was easily replaced and I could remove the regular hex nut with the socket set that was kept in the trunk anyways.
I guess at the end of the day those who create value, seek out solutions to problems no-one else sees or can figure out, and have passion to do what they do are the linchpin. What ever word we use indispensable or invaluable, they or we are the arrows that deal the damage that wins the business and makes or companies stronger and better because our work is our masterpiece.
I strongly suggest you pick up a copy of Linchpin by Seth Godin and discover how you have it well in your grasp to create for yourself a position that is indispensable or invaluable.
Michael Mock