Linchpin by Seth Godin – Powerful Gift Culture Book Review

When Seth Godin speaks, I listen. His thought-provoking, no-nonsense, practical marketing insights are changing business. So you can imagine when you are given the opportunity to do an early review of your book. Axis: Are you indispensable? I said “yes” right away.

Like his other works, Axis does not disappoint. There are so many nuggets of wisdom grouped together on about 230 pages that you could write multiple reviews, each focusing on a different concept.

What sets this book apart from Godin’s earlier works is that it focuses on you, the individual. It is not your company. Not their products. It is not the way you do business. But there is no doubt that it will affect your company, your products and the way you do business. The premise is that the more unique, the more connected, the more generous you are, the more influence and success you can enjoy.

Almost counter-intuitively, Godin suggests that the more you give away your “art” (be it advice, music, knowledge, or literally art) for free, the more likely your boss, your clients, and your fans will remain loyal. . . In fact, the “Givers Gain” message was so ingrained in the book that I thought I was at a BNI (Business Network International) meeting or reading Bob Burg’s book. The Go-Giver. Not that there is anything wrong with that. There isn’t. And I’ve seen this principle work for me on so many occasions, I can attest to its usefulness.

In Godin’s discussion of The powerful culture of gifts, points out that there are three ways people think about gifts: 1) “Give me a gift.” 2) “Here’s a gift. Now you owe me a great deal.” 3) “Here is a gift, I love you.” I think it’s very easy for people to jump to the second mindset when reading about the gift economy. We see this all the time with “free seminars” or “free networking” that are nothing more than sales events. This is NOT giving away your art.

So how do you make a living giving away free art? That’s where the gift system circles come in. Godin’s theory says that in the First Circle of True Gifts you give away your art for free to family, friends, co-workers, those to whom you are close. The Second Circle is the circle of commerce made up of those who pay for your art, your customers. And now, with the rise of the Internet, a huge Third Circle has emerged which is that of its followers and fans – “friendly” – who can become friends. This third circle helps expand the circle of commerce, as well as influence and improve the lives of even more people.

I’m just starting to take advantage of this Third Circle world and it’s truly an amazing new frontier. In less than a year, I made dozens of new friends (especially my Twitter “twibe”) and got so many new resources that I can’t even imagine my future without them.

After reading Linchpin, you understand why Godin was giving us advanced reviewers a chance to read and comment on the book. He was showing what it really means to be a hub.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *