Wanted: Linchpins

8/9/2019 Wanted: Linchpins

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Rich Meyer


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Today I had the choice ofdoing something importantthat no one would everrealizeor doing somethingthat would seem like anaccomplishment.So I a>ended mee?ngs un?l Icould no longer appreciate thedifference

Dilbert


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Welcome to the new worldof work

We are surrounded by bureaucrats, note takers,literalists, TGIF employees, map followers, andpeople afraid to speak up.

We are o en led by managers who do what is

best for themselves, not what is best for yourcustomers or your brand.

Processes are too o en aligned around what isbest for the company, not your customers.

We spend way too much ?me in mee?ngs, anddoing and re-doing Power Point presenta?ons.

We try too hard to be liked by businesscolleagues because we are o en graded on

how well we get along with others.


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How did we get here

The economy and high unemployment ratehave led to fearful employees who will doanything to keep their jobs.

Matrix organiza?ons spread decisionmaking. Agreeing with the crowd, even ifthey are wrong, is o en the only course ofac?on.

Too many employees are evaluated on howthey get along with others within theirorganiza?on. This includes ResistanceLeaders and Lizard Brains.


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On top of all this, consumerbehavior also is changing

Consumers have changed theirbehavior as a result of therecession.

They are not loyal or cheapcommodi?es any more.

They have become more skep?cal of

tradi?onal marke?ng and have morepower than marketers realize or givethem credit for.


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And all this is happening whenmore employees are saying

Its not my job

Employees who want to clear

projects from their desks and getthem done even if it means not doingthem right.

The Resistance loves processes andfollowing rules.

Consumers know which brands value

them as people and which ones seethem as prot centers.


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The irony of all this is

What companies desperately need noware indispensable employees who areoriginal thinkers, provocateurs, and

people who care about what they doand how it impacts customers.

We need marketers who can lead,salespeople who are willing to make ahuman connec?on, passionate changemakers willing to be shunned to make apoint.

Down with the Resistance !!!!!


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Working in corporate Americacan be challenging today

The working middle class is suffering rightnow:

Wages are stagnant

Job security is gone

More work with less people equals morestress

Its easier for companies to turn employeesinto replaceable cogs in a vast machine.

The easier people are to replace, the lessthey need to be paid.


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The only way to stand out is tobecome indispensible

The only way to get what you are worth is to stand out, to exertemo?onal labor, to be seen as indispensible, and to produce interac?onsthat organiza?ons and people care about.

If you want a job where its okay to follow the rules, dont be surprised ifyou get a job where following the rules is all you get to do.

Seth Godin, Linchpin


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But by becoming indispensable,you may not be loved

Its enGrely possible that once you chose to become indispensible, youwill no longer be loved.


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So the ques?on becomes,Do you really want to be a Linchpin


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What is a Linchpin


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Law of Linchpin Leverage

The more value you create in your job, the fewer clockminutes of labor you actually spend creaGng that value.

h o u r s o f e ff o r t

/ d a y

pay

follow instructions

insights

most of the Gme, youre notbeing brilliant


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Fearless, reckless, and fecklessOrganiza?ons go out of their way to seek out people who arefearless, but they also go out of their way to weed out thereckless. Fearless means unafraid of things that one shouldnt be

afraid of, like: Giving a presenta?on to an important customer without losing

a nights sleep. Taking intellectual risks and forging new paths.

Reckless means rushing into places that only a fool wouldgo.

It leads to big problems and can cost your company a lot ofmoney.

Reckless is what led to the mortgage and liquidity crisis.

Feckless is ineffec?ve, indifferent and lazy. Ill do just what my job requires me to do even though I could

do be>er I dont care, it will never work anyway


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Do you have the ?meto be perfect

Quan?ty Quality

Do you spend all day trying to be perfect (avoiding mistakes) If so, youll never

catch up and have ?me to really think about what youre doing.


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Because you shouldntbe afraid of failure

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again moreintelligently.

Henry Ford

You can't have any successes unless you can acceptfailure.

George Cukor

Nothing fails like success because we don't learn from it.We learn only from failure.

Kenneth Boudling


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But beware the Resistance,they want to assimilate you


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The Resistance:Your Lizard Brain

The Lizard Brain is hungry,scared, angry, and wants to eatto be safe.

The Lizard Brain will ght you atevery turn and would rather runaway or remain with the statusquo.

The Lizard Brain is moreconcerned with what everyoneelse thinks, because statuswithin the tribe is essen?al tosurvival and promo?ons.


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The Resistance is not tobe taken lightly

The Resistance (lizard brain) can wreckpeople, teams, and brands.

The Resistance is nefarious, clever and isalways in mo?on.

It creates procras?na?on & ra?onaliza?on. You cant beat it, so you must seduce it.

Keep your friends close, but your enemiescloser.

Don Corleone, The odfather


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The Resistance is strong

See, I told you it wouldnever work. The Resistance loves school

because school is obedience

and they can be soothed bythinking more obedience isbe>er work.

At work, the Resistance playsdevils advocate in mee?ngs,they follow the rule bookand processes even if theyare not applicable.


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The reason the Resistance can winat work is because you might fail

Sure, you might fail, but successful peoplethink of failure differently. Successful people:

learn from failure learn that the tac?cs they used

didnt work or that the person theyused them on didnt respond.

You become a winner because you aregood at losing.

In their quest for for job safety, the Resistance is layingthe groundwork for their own eventual demise.


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Sure you can fail but Linchpins turnfailure into success and build on it

By using.


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The 7 abili?es of a Linchpin


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Provide a unique interface betweenmembers of the organiza?on

Help lead and establishhuman connec?ons.

Provide a link betweenyour customers and keyinuencers within theorganiza?on so they canhear what consumersthink and feel when itcomes to your brand andproducts.


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Deliver unique crea?vity

Be passionate enough torisk rejec?on by bringing

new thinking toproblems.

Stay away fromspreadsheet analysisparalysis because yourcompe?tors are usingthe same spreadsheets.


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Manage a situa?on ororganiza?on of great complexity

Linchpins make theirown maps and blaze new

trails because there is nomanual for rapidlychanging businessenvironments.

By developing newprocesses and trails, youbecome more valuable tothe organiza?on.


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Lead customers

Consumers are seekingto connect more andmore.

The new model isinterac?ve anddecentralized withpeople who can solve

customer problemswithout requiring tons ofmee?ngs.


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Inspire Staff

Understand your job is tomake things happen.

Destroy the its not my joba tude.

Make people feel they are partof the greater good that makesthings happen.


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Provide deep domain knowledge

Understand the issues fromwhat to why and youllbe able to provide be>er

solu?ons that meet yourcustomer needs.

Dont rely on data alone,always ask what is thistelling us


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Possess a unique talent

The more unique yourtalent, the moreindispensable you are.

Always keep learning andacquire new skills andtalents.

Be thought of as an

expert in certaincapabili?es.


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Remember, not every ar?stcreates a work of art

Most arGsts cant draw, but they can see An ar?st is someone who uses bravery, insight, crea?vity, and boldness to

challenge the status quo. Art is a personal act of courage, something that one human does that creates

change in another.


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Are you willing tofollow your passion

Following your passion is much moredesirable than watching the clock

Passion is the desire, insistence, andwillingness to give of yourself to makeothers around you be>er.

Passion isnt making money...itsmaking a difference.

Passion isnt project specic, itspeople specic .

People with passion look for ways tomake things happen.


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Today could be a turning point

Today is a turning point, a once-in-a-life?me moment in ?me when you get tomake a choice. Instead of focusing oncomplying with management as a long-

term strategy for ge ng more stuff andbeing more secure, we have a chance todescribe a powerful vision for our futureand to actually make it happen. The newdream isnt about obedience, its aboutvision and engagement

Seth Godin

Linchpin


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Sooner or later, we all haveto make a tough choice

Sooner or later, marketers have to makea choice between following the crowdand being loved, or making yourselfindispensible by doing what is best foryour customers and your brand.

Richard Meyer

Passionate Marketer


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Dont let it go

because when you do, you slowly lose your passion and work becomes a jobwhere you are more interested in watching the clock and waiGng for the

weekend.


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About me Richard Meyer My resume h>p://www.richardameyer.com My marke?ng BLOG h>p://www.richsblog.com MY DTC BLOGh>p://www.worldofdtcmarke?ng.com

h>p://www.twi>er.com/richmeyer

h>p://www.facebook.com/richardameyer

h>p://www.linkedin.com/in/richardameyer


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Linchpin

This presenta?on is dedicated to Seth Godin.You have led me to rethink all that I learnedand I use your books as a reference tool to

apply what you teach.

Thank you

If there is one book that you need to read,this is the book.

Purchase it here at Amazon

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Wanted: Linchpins