Linchpin
I think that working hard is important. I read Seth Godin’s book Linchpin: Are you Indepensable? when it was published in 2008. I was still in my twenties and a year into working for a small digital agency at time.
The idea here is that a linchpin is someone who becomes indispensable in their organisation. Godin suggests that anyone can become a linchpin. It’s about the value you create and your willingness to do the work that matters. In the book, I remember him advocating for hard work, but only when you care enough about what you’re doing. He says that output is important and that you need to finish–or be able to “ship”–things.
“Indispensable work is work that is connected to others.”
The thing I felt the most from this book is that work can stop just being work when it becomes purposeful. For me, design is the opportunity to do work that matters–to make things that improve situations, outcomes and experiences for people. That’s purpose, but you have to find it in the work.
Since 2008, I’ve chosen to work really hard. To push myself out of my comfort zone. It’s why I write and speak. Why I try to connect, share ideas, and overcome the resistance I feel about standing out.
To be a linchpin takes hard work. I learned that you can’t always be the smartest person in the room, but you can work as hard—or harder—than everyone else.
There’s a sacrifice to this. I always say to my family, “Just this one thing to get past—this talk to write, this big company project we need to finish, this book to complete, etc.” But inevitably, the next thing always follows. Then the next thing. Then the next. But that’s the work.
I still aspire to be a linchpin. To care enough to work hard enough to make a difference, change something, influence something, or say something worth saying—anything that creates a meaningful connection between people and ideas.
This is my blog where I’ve been writing for 20 years. You can follow all of my posts by subscribing to this RSS feed. You can also find me on Bluesky and LinkedIn.