A Cup of Coffee to Becoming a Linchpin

  • 2 min read

Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you’re searching for something.  Not searching as in Googling – I mean really searching – for a way to describe and display your unique gifts to the world.  You may be searching for the precise words to describe your talents, the most relevant differentiating message, or the most effective methods that will demonstrate your dedication to excellence, thought leadership, and industry expertise.

Achieve success

In short, you are passionate.  Passion creates art.  Art is a gift.

And your gift is your brand.

So, are you ready for today’s activity?

Grab your cup of coffee and your e-reader.  Put on your thinking cap, too, because there’s a lot to capture: you are going to define your passion, your art, your gift – and ultimately, your brand.

First, if you haven’t already read Seth Godin’s latest bestseller, Linchpin, now is the time.

Here’s why: Becoming a linchpin is the key to achieving the success you desire.

According to Seth, a linchpin is someone who is an indispensable resource to his or her organization.  A linchpin is someone who has the desire and passion to make something work, to create something better, to add value where there is a void.

To be clear, becoming a linchpin is not about being the most famous or most well known.  A linchpin puts heart and soul and emotion into the work they do, regardless of the task, and creates situational art, brilliance, and beauty.

And, without even trying, linchpins ultimately create the most compelling personal brand possible.

Brand nirvana

In the book, Seth writes, “The only way to get what you’re worth is to stand out, to exert emotional labor, to be seen as indispensable, and to produce interactions that organizations and people care deeply about.”

That my friends, is brand nirvana.

So – what makes you indispensable?  Remember – it’s not the tasks you complete (there are others who can do the same) – it’s how you complete them.  What is your passion?  What are your gifts?  When you look back on 5, 10, 20 years of work, what is the one thing about your approach – constant and unique to you – that positively affected change and provided true benefit to others?

Seth describes art as “the intentional act of using your humanity to create a change in another person…Art is unique, new and challenging to the status quo. It’s not decoration. It’s something that causes change. Art cannot be merely commerce. It must also be a gift.”

Your gift is your brand.  It’s what you bring to the table every single time.

I asked Seth who he was thinking about when he wrote this book – who, specifically, was he writing to?  He told me, “I was writing to the people who are in pain, who can’t understand why the deal our parents got isn’t in force any more. And I was writing to people who have art in them, who need to contribute.”

From Seth to his readers: “I didn’t set out to get you to quit your job or to persuade you to become an entrepreneur or merely to change the entire world. All I wanted to do in this book was sell you on being the artist you already are. To make a difference. To stand for something. To get the respect and security you deserve. If I’ve succeeded, then you know that you have a gift to give, something you can do to change the world (or your part of it) for the better. I hope you’ll do that, because we need you.”

Wendy builds and executes personal branding and online marketing strategy for executives and corporations in the high-tech sector. She is the author of Sales Force Branding: Differentiate from the Competition, and co-creator of the Sales Force Branding program, an innovative and comprehensive program that utilizes the latest technology to differentiate companies, executives and brands from the competition.  Wendy is a senior consultant specializing in B2B Corporate Social Media, Demand Generation and Marketing Automation. She is a featured marketing technology speaker and columnist on renowned websites, such as Maria Shriver’s Women’s Conference, Chopra’s Intent.com and Denver’s GreatIdeasForKids.com.  A fervent believer in “a little means a lot”, Wendy founded The Small Deeds Network, a charitable organization that combines small personal efforts of many to provide food, clothing and other necessities to those in need.
Picture of Wendy Brache

Wendy Brache

Wendy Brache builds and executes personal branding and online marketing strategy for executives and corporations in the high-tech sector. She is the author of Sales Force Branding: Differentiate from the Competition, and co-creator of the Sales Force Branding program. Wendy is a senior consultant specializing in B2B Corporate Social Media, Demand Generation and Marketing Automation, and is also a featured marketing technology speaker and columnist on renowned websites, such as Maria Shriver’s Women’s Conference, Chopra’s Intent.com and Denver’s GreatIdeasForKids.com.

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

New York’s new AI advertising law took effect June 9 and requires a “conspicuous” disclosure any time a synthetic AI performer appears in an ad, with fines of $1,000 for a first violation and $5,000 for each one after that, and while the law spares publishers who merely host the ad, any blog or brand actually producing AI-generated spokespeople for a New York audience is squarely on the hook.

New York’s new AI advertising law took effect June 9 and requires a “conspicuous” disclosure any time a synthetic AI performer appears in an ad, with fines of $1,000 for a first violation and $5,000 for each one after that, and while the law spares publishers who merely host the ad, any blog or brand actually producing AI-generated spokespeople for a New York audience is squarely on the hook.

The Blog Herald
People who journal every morning aren’t always trying to process something heavy — for many, it’s just the one part of the day that still belongs entirely to them<

People who journal every morning aren’t always trying to process something heavy — for many, it’s just the one part of the day that still belongs entirely to them<

The Blog Herald
There’s a certain kind of person who, somewhere in their 60s, quietly stops justifying their choices in conversation — not because they’ve stopped caring, but because explaining yourself loses its urgency when you finally like who you are

There’s a certain kind of person who, somewhere in their 60s, quietly stops justifying their choices in conversation — not because they’ve stopped caring, but because explaining yourself loses its urgency when you finally like who you are

Global English Editing
Psychology says the “bigger wedding, bigger divorce risk” finding everyone half-remembers isn’t a straight line at all — the original study breaks it into specific spending brackets, and each bracket carries its own distinct risk multiplier, not a simple “spend more, risk more”

Psychology says the “bigger wedding, bigger divorce risk” finding everyone half-remembers isn’t a straight line at all — the original study breaks it into specific spending brackets, and each bracket carries its own distinct risk multiplier, not a simple “spend more, risk more”

The Blog Herald
Researchers studying the “Matthew effect” in reading found that the sheer amount of time someone spends reading predicts long-term vocabulary growth even after accounting for how strong their vocabulary already was, which means the habit itself does compounding work that a single smart start can’t replace

Researchers studying the “Matthew effect” in reading found that the sheer amount of time someone spends reading predicts long-term vocabulary growth even after accounting for how strong their vocabulary already was, which means the habit itself does compounding work that a single smart start can’t replace

Global English Editing
New Jersey’s new data broker law bans the sale of sensitive personal data outright and fines violators up to $50,000 per record, and any blogger or marketer who buys third-party audience lists to target New Jersey readers now needs to check whether their vendor is registered before the state’s compliance deadlines hit.

New Jersey’s new data broker law bans the sale of sensitive personal data outright and fines violators up to $50,000 per record, and any blogger or marketer who buys third-party audience lists to target New Jersey readers now needs to check whether their vendor is registered before the state’s compliance deadlines hit.

The Blog Herald
Load more
CATEGORIES
Explore