3 ms·
This read to me like think tank backfill. Friedman has definitely got his own angle on things. I think reading _Linchpin_ would be more useful advice, “The jo
by lifeguard 13y ago
This read to me like think tank backfill. Friedman has definitely got his own angle on things.
I think reading _Linchpin_ would be more useful advice,
“The job is what you do when you are told what to do. The job is showing up at the factory, following instructions, meeting spec, and being managed.
Someone can always do your job a little better or faster or cheaper than you can.
The job might be difficult, it might require skill, but it's a job.
Your art is what you do when no one can tell you exactly how to do it. Your art is the act of taking personal responsibility, challenging the status quo, and changing people.
I call the process of doing your art 'the work.' It's possible to have a job and do the work, too. In fact, that's how you become a linchpin.
The job is not the work.”
― Seth Godin, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
- b1daly 13y agoDoes anyone else find Seth Godins advice to be totally devoid of actionable suggestions? It reads to me as "the key to being successful is to be awesome!" It has some hand-wavey concepts, a few cherry picked anecdotes, and a pithy title. I don't get it... The original article had a similar quality when it came to the question of how to actually acquire advanced skills. How many jobs exist in which the main skill is knowing Excel? Maybe there are, but usually if it is listed it's as part of a laundry list of required skills.
- jarek 13y ago> Does anyone else find Seth Godins advice to be totally devoid of actionable suggestions? Same as most motivational and self-help advice, then?
- b1daly 13y agoPoint taken!
- lifeguard 13y agoHis books are about marketing. This one is about marketing oneself to managers and co-workers. In the beginning of the book he slams public education for preparing people to be good factory workers when there are no factory jobs in the USA. Some thought provoking analysis.