What is a Linchpin?
You won’t truly lead, grow, and reach contentment unless you are indispensable, unless you are a Linchpin.
Of all self-improvement and career growth ideas and frameworks that exist, this one may be the simplest and easiest to implement. It will have a profound impact on the way to see your career and life. It will take you out of your own head, help you develop empathy, and lead you to true success.
What does it mean to be indispensable? How should you lead? What is a Linchpin?
Linchpins are leaders
Take ownership. Own everything in your world, good and bad. When things go wrong, take the blame. When things go right, give the credit to others. Own and implement solutions to problems.
Prioritize and execute. Decide what’s most important for the team’s success and get it done. Then move on to the next one. If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.
Keep things simple. Don’t overcomplicate things. Simple is better than complex. The more simple a plan, mission, or project the easier it is to pivot, iterate, and maneuver.
Decentralized command. Every one is a leader. Lead up and down the chain of command. Fully support your leaders and allow others to take ownership, increase their responsibility, and lead.
Linchpins put the team first, always
If the team wins, everyone wins.
The success of the team is more important than the success of the individual ( i.e. you). The moment you prioritize individual attainment is the moment you are no longer a Linchpin. Give everything you have to the team and the benefits to yourself will come.
Don’t be selfish, put the team first.
Linchpins solve problems that provide value
You provide value by solving problems that are critical to the business, not the problems you think are interesting.
Your side projects may have some merit but they are not the thing that is pushing the team and company forward. Do the menial tasks if you need to or delegate to a more appropriate person, then automate. Do whatever is needed to push the business, team, or initiative forward.
If you’re not providing value, you’re wasting time. Linchpins don’t waste time.
Linchpins are generous
Give away knowledge early and often.
Don’t gate-keep. If you build up others the team will improve. Remember, put the team first. Write down and facilitate your learnings so others can avoid your mistakes. Be generous with your ideas and don’t be afraid someone is going to steal them.
Greed is not a good look for anyone, especially if you’re greedy with knowledge.
Linchpins manipulate friction
Use friction as a dial you can turn to make things better.
Reduce friction to remove pain-points, inefficiency, and redundancy. Increase friction to stop undesirable behavior, introduce rigor, and reduce errors. Pick a source of friction, do something about it, then move on to the next one (prioritize and execute).
Find friction and use it to your advantage.
Linchpins ship the work
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of done. You must do the work, ship it, and iterate. This is the path to improvement. Don’t be afraid of criticism, welcome it. Receiving and implementing feedback is the fastest route to improvement.
Nothing is ever “done” but it’s good enough to make a difference.
Linchpins are indispensable
Indispensability is the result of the work that you do every day.
You are essential and almost impossible to replace.
People can’t imagine a world without you in it.
You are indispensable.
You are a Linchpin.