Rothacker Reviews

If You Can't Run With The Big Dogs Don't Read Seth Godin's Book Linchpin

This is about my Web site The Technician Shop, its roots, undercover espionage personal branding and the Linchpin.

Seth describes a linchpin as a person who is indispensable - someone who cannot be replaced. In terms of technicians, a linchpin would be the technician who is so valuable to his employer, he cannot easily be replaced.

Seth contrasts the linchpin to the factory worker, and this classification includes white collar workers and those in the service industry. Factory workers show up, work hard, listen to the boss, do what their told, be a part of the system and for the most part leave their brains at the door as they punch in for work.

I've worked closely with technicians for twenty-five years. The passionate technician, who cares about his family, personal development, coworkers, education, work, tools and customers, who diagnoses and repairs technically complicated systems while calming the nerves of irate customers and educating them along the way, has always been a fascination point for me. His or her work is pure art.

I had been in a position to influence technicians and direct them toward the linchpin role. Because in my mind I could so clearly see what it took for a technician to become indispensable, I decided to write a book about it. The title was to be No Porches: If you can't run with the big dogs stay on the porch.That was in 2004. A new job and a new city quickly took the wind from my sails.

Fast forward to early 2009. After losing my job I decided to resurrect the No Porches project. I fired up a Web site to work through my thoughts and called it The Technician Shop. Tom Peter's The Brand Called You, Fast Company article and the concept of personal branding were my primary sources of influence. 

I avoid using terminology like personal branding and other corporate gobbldy-gook because to the technician it's excessive noise - hence the undercover espionage personal branding tactic. After reading Seth's book I realize that it will be mandatory reading to any technician interested in professional development. It is the very essence of what I am trying to convey.

I could recommend that technicians read Linchpin and totally shelve my effort except for one thing (person) - their manager. 99% of the managers in the profession are factory managers. Of this percentage, 10% wouldn't be except for their managers or company owners. These managers and owners are higher level factory managers.

There is a direct correlation to a manager's control. The more he tries to control his coworker, the less likely that coworker will ever become a true linchpin. The other problem is that managers are trying to go in so many different directions at the same time, they do not have the ability to recognize a true linchpin or one in the making.

Although I do not use Linchpin terminology, a primary concern in my message is for the technician to find an employer who recognizes and accepts the value of a linchpin. Because these companies are so rare, my focus is for the technician to take control of their own development, education and work and make themselves well, indispensable. 

Due to the whole fibromyalgia thing I haven't been working on The Technician Shop. I guess I was just so excited about Seth's book and how it ties so well into what I was trying to accomplish at The Technician Shop, I had to blab it out here.

Last Lecture Synopsis

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

"What wisdom would you impart upon the world if you knew your demise was to be immediate ?" "What matters most to you?"

College professors are frequently asked to plan a lecture with these questions in mind. The searing difference between Randy Pausch's last lecture and all of the others? Prior to the lecture, Randy was told he really did have only a couple of months to live.

I originally wrote what I called a synopsis of Randy's book The Last Lecture on July 20, 2008. A disappointed anonymous Google user voiced an opinion in the comment section. He or she basically said that my writing was not a synopsis. I agree. And as I was about to write a review for the book The Comet & The Tornado, a book written by Randy's colleague, I thought no, I need to do a better job with The Last Lecture first. One of Randy's life lessons is to learn from our mistakes. I will attempt to do that now.

The title of Randy's Last Lecture, which can be seen here on You Tube is Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. One of the things that I look for in a book is a connection to the author and his work. There is no relevance in my life to childhood dreams, much less achieving them. On that alone I could have passed on this book. But I had seen a portion of Randy's lecture. He is a magnificent and captivating storyteller. I had to read the book. I did...with much joy. By the book's end I had become a victim to a teaching technique that Randy calls the head fake and by that point I had connected with Randy in a major way.

Randy starts off discussing the opportunity to give the Last Lecture, should he do it in lieu of his circumstances, how his wife Jai weighs in on the opportunity and what makes him unique - what sets him apart -what would he speak about. Finally he determined that his life accomplishments were rooted in his childhood dreams and the ability to fulfill most of them.

Randy goes on to talk about how nurturing, supportive and influential his parents were. He spoke of one time when he wanted to paint things on his bedroom walls. His parents asked what kind of things. He said things that mattered to him. And then they let him. This type of parenting forged Randy into the successful adult that he turned into.

The following chapters are devoted to specific childhood dreams and how Randy was able to achieve most of them, with lessons learned along the way. Randy dreamed of:

• moving about in zero gravity
• playing in the NFL
• authoring a World Book Encyclopedia article
• being Captain James T. Kirk of Star Trek
• being a Disney Imagineer
• winning big, stuffed animals

Randy's journey to becoming a Disney Imagineer was rather unique and he uses the story to illustrate how running into the metaphorical brick wall should not stop us from doing something. He says that brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.

The next set of chapters are titled Adventures...And Lessons Learned. Here Randy tells us when he learned that his cancer was terminal, how his mentor Andy van Dam so eloquently called him a jerk, his relationship with his niece and nephew, meeting and romancing Jai, his father's Bronze Star and a few other stories.

The next section is titled Enabling the Dreams of Others. Randy shares key time management points, the importance of being able to judge ourselves for true growth, a story about Tommy Burnett, a student who went onto work on three Star War's movies, the development of the Education Technology Center (better known as the dream-fulfillment factory) at Carnegie Mellon and how his students excelled and a storytelling tool named Alice.

In the section titled It's About How to Live Your Life, Randy's stories drill into the essence of how to be a decent human being. He says to be earnest not hip, work harder, treat the disease not the symptom, find ways to work together with people, look for the best in everybody, be prepared and don't give up, write than-you notes, be loyal, apologize when need be, tell the truth, smell crayons and learn, communicate, and if you want something, ask. As you read through the rest of Randy's stories here you can't help but to compare him with Dale Carnegie.

Randy concludes by discussing dreams for his children, his relationship with Jai and the head fake. Earlier in the book, Randy describes how his football coach Jim Graham, was able to teach and get his players to learn - without them realizing it at first. This was one form of the head fake. The other was a type of indirect learning. He uses football as an example. The players learn the techniques and intricacies of the game, but the head fake results when they also learn about teamwork, sportsmanship, the ability to deal with adversity, etc. You'll have to read The Last Lecture to learn about the specific head fakes that Randy uses here.

The thing that I admired most about Randy was his commitment and devotion to his family. Past that it was that he went through life - eyes wide open...observing, recording and learning from experiences and people.

If you are a manager, parent or teacher, you have the opportunity to be of influence. Impart Randy's life lessons upon your contingent and encourage them to paint things upon their bedroom walls. Be a dream supporter and build your legacy along the way.

Visit the Last Lecture website here.

Cynicism and Success

My manager is a moe-ron. Why else would someone agree to be a human fire hydrant every single day? His manager, the crew, staff and customers circle the hydrant, all jockeying for a clear shot.

The people who I work with are moe-rons. They punch in, punch their minds out and hang on by their fingernails to the day's end. They could care less about the company and customers. They care even less about themselves. Professional development? Huh, that's about a pro ball player going from the minors to the bigs. It has nothing to do with them.

The people who own this company are moe-rons. There's no connection between them and their employees. Reality has left the house. Customers? Oh yeah, they buy our stuff. The owners treat them like farm animals - give em some feed and box up the milk and eggs.

This guy sure has a distorted point of view, doesn't he? A cynical sot, isn't he. Sure not like us, is he?

He was me. He was so tired of the passion-less, focused-less, caring-less business world around him that he sank to cynicism. In the beginning he thought Dilbert was for losers. In the end he worshiped Dilbert. The system and the drones who ran it and those who trudged through it wore him down. His inability to escape from it brought illness to his body.

Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin

For a pretty good review and video clips of Greg, visit Brittany Walker's Web site here.

Three Cups of Tea has been reviewed 2,264 times as of today on Amazon, holding spot # 70 on their bestseller list. Googled book reviews are never ending. Why? Why is this book resonating with so many people?

Because a decent, average guy with a huge heart is helping educate impoverished children in some of the most remote and harsh climates on the planet. While Greg is not some kind of rock star Ph.D., retired millionaire or superstar consultant, he really isn't average either. Average cannot be equated to Greg's persistence and determination in building schools in Middle Asia.

Because we catch a glimpse into the Muslim culture of Pakistan and Afghanistan. And we quickly realize that all Muslim's are not terrorists.

Because we think, "I wonder if I can make a difference in the world like Greg?"

Because Greg is not some kind of rock star, time management guru. The dude is not well organized, misses appointments and appears to be in a permanent state of chaos. Like you and I.

Because we know to get things done in this world we do it through relationships.

Because we are intrigued by a sound method of banishing terrorism.

Because deep in our hearts we crave the ability and wherewithal to help kids.

Here is what ices Greg's endeavor for me: He is helping to educate girls. Greg says:

Once you educate boys, they tend to leave the villages and go search for work in the cities. But the girls stay home, become leaders in the community, and pass on what they've learned. If you really want to change a culture, to empower women, improve basic hygiene and health care, and fight rates of infant mortality, the answer is to educate girls.

Once you've read Three Cups of Tea and Greg's latest book Stones into Schools, you will become powerless to fight the urge to help. You'll most likely want to take a few months off from work, go over to Middle Asia and spread your love and desire to help. Greg's Central Asia Institute is not geared to take on physical volunteers. They are quite geared however, to take donations. And American dollars can go a long way to help these kids who beg for education. Visit the Central Asia Institute and donate a couple dollars today.

I believe there is another way to help. The seeds of this idea are in the, "Once you educate..." quote above. Take a minute and read this quote again. Think girls, education and help. Think change. Think America. I'll follow this thought up with another post.

Change by Design

Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO authored a book in 2009, titled Change by Design. Today it ranks number five at Amazon under the category Organizational Change. Tim writes:

This is not a book by designers for designers; this is a blueprint for creative leaders seeking to infuse design thinking - an approach for creative problem solving - into all facets of their organizations, products or services to discover new alternatives for business and society as a whole.

The high ranking at Amazon is not because a bunch of leaders who want to be creative rushed out to buy Tim's book - even though Tim clearly communicates the strategies and business reasons behind engaging design thinking, c-o-m-m-u-n-i-c-a-t-e-s in CEO and leader language. Rather the high ranking is because those who work for these leaders are desperately in search of - as in crawling across the hot desert floor in search of a tall, cool glass of water - other leaders who get it, other companies that are doing it and other ways to operate a company better.

If you're a CEO / leader and the word change begins to constrict the little fellers in your groin's environment, relax. You don't have to embrace creative problem solving to change your entire company. Learn about it, become familiar with it and change one outdated personal business practice. Once you've gotten your arms and mind around design thinking and have effected a positive personal outcome, you will be encouraged and excited to use it once again. For design thinking to be effective in your company, it must become a mindset in which you truly believe in.

The cold reality of the situation is that if you're a CEO / leader now and are not already tuned into design thinking, you will never will. Your best bet is to step down from CEO and become a Wal-Mart greeter for your company. The only difference is you'll have the wealth and knowledge of your typical WM greeter, but you'll get to actually use it because you will remain on with your company in an advisory capacity. (Wal-Mart shuns the depth-less pool of knowledge and resources contained in their greeter's hearts and minds).

Could you possibly imagine the courage and incredible self-knowledge of a CEO who understands that he doesn't have the capacity to embrace design thinking, but cares enough about his company to turn the reigns over to someone who does and remain on to help?

The cold reality of the situation is that this person doesn't exist. And this leads back to my number one recommendation for reading Tim's work: Learn to identify CEO's and companies who embrace design thinking. Learn from them. Work for them.

Here's another reason for reading Change by Design: Use it as a compass to help navigate your own road. Read the book looking through the window of your own potential development. 

Can Adults Learn From Kids?

Can adults learn from kids? Yes! Especially those of us who could not or would not crawl out of our boxes...even if all four walls fell down at the same time.

I came across Adora Svitak today when looking over the speakers at this year's TED talks. Adora talks to the folks at Mashable here:

At the 1:56 mark Adora says, "Adults are confined by society's restrictions." She's talking about changing the world and coming up with new ideas. Adora says that kids offer a different perspective, a kid's eyeview, one that is not hampered and that's why adults should pay attention to kids.

Adora lets her kid side out for a quick moment and then recovers at the 2:24 mark. When asked if there was any technology that she was excited about, she said getting a free phone at TED was the high point of the conference for her. A second later she corrected and said that the speakers were her high point.

You know what Adora? I hope that you can hold off society's norms just a bit longer yourself. It's totally cool and totally kid to say the high point of TED was the free phone.

Sick? Change Your Toothbrush

I was cutting out coupons this morning when I came across a Colgate ad. It said, "Got a cold? Change your toothbrush after a cold for a fresh start." This seems like such common sense that I must have heard it from someone at least once over the course of my life. I haven't. 

I did a quick Google search and found it has been a topic of discussion, but not as frequently as one might think. Another bit of advice that makes sense; microwave your toothbrush a couple of times per week. 

Well, I feel pretty good about this newly discovered info, but it prompts a question:

What product, service or thing do we interact with often, that if viewed from a different perspective, would produce an all together different result?

"David."

"Yes Rosemary."

"Did you read the article about the benefits of changing your underwear everyday?"

"No. You've got to be kidding! People really do that? Tawwssss me that tbt* when you're done."

I Despise Goals!

Yes it's about semantics. And ridiculous expectations. And out-of-touch-with-reality managers. And corporate. And I state that with every ounce of conviction that I can muster like the big ugly wad of gum stuck on your shoe that it is. And it's about lack of achievement. And crutches for managers. And reasons to not engage. And big ole hockin' stomach aches.

The gurus say you must have goals and grade to those goals. So those of us who secretly disagree with the whole notion, keep to ourselves. I was recently talking to a twenty plus year ex-manager and she told me that she HATES goals. I was shocked. Did I mention that she was an extremely successful manager? It turns out she just did to her corporate manager what most teenagers do to their parents. "Yes mom, yes mom, yes mom." They did the goal thing on paper and then she went about working with her coworkers in ways that produced excellent results. I believe that the physical description of this event involves taking one's hand and sliding it up and down a fictitious pole.

I do not disagree with the practice of setting a target and then striving for it. There's just so much muckety-muck slimed around the practice of what is known as goal setting and in most cases the inevitable failure to achieve such goals, that I think a change in both terminology and view are in order.

Marcus says that most people don't change much. I agree. I don't however, have the time, energy and evangelistic characteristics needed to mount a crusade. So all you folks out there who are goalies, no sweat, keep on keepin' on with your goals. I am more interested in folks like the young ex-manager above who despises goals. 

How deep-seeded have this woman's sentiments run? Well I've known her since 1974, married her in 1977 and produced offspring with her in 1981 and 1992, and I never knew she despised goals. For one stretch of twenty years when we were both managers at the same time, we spoke every single day after work, about all things management. I think the whole goal-crap thing is burnt so deep by corporate and the gurus into our neural pathways, that we have become desensitized to it...kinda like going to the bathroom. Given our druthers we'd rather not do it, but its part of human nature so we just do what we have to do.

I'll follow up this post with some different ideas in terminology and viewpoints.

Recently Lost Your Job?

What does a creative person do when they lose their job? Why make lemonade, of course! As I am still experimenting with a concoction that I can live with, you can bet I will take glassfills of inspiration from these guys!

Lemonade Movie Site

Ideaspotting

Ideaspotting by Sam Harrison

Ideaspotting is a book designed to help you generate ideas and to become more creative.

Did you ever dig into a book that was supposed to help you be more creative, and find yourself entangled in exercises so complex and tedious that they forced you into being creative, like using the book for a door stop? Well, Ideaspotting is not like that.

In another book of his Zing!, author Sam wrote about the following five-step process for generating ideas:

• Explore
• Freedom
• Pause
• Embrace
• Life

Ideaspotting focuses on the Explore stage. Sam underscores to explore with the actions of observing and listening. Please allow me to back away from Sam's book for a second and try to capture a 60,000 foot view.

Pretend that you have a problem that is contained in one room and you need a solution. Or you need to come up with an idea in relation to this room. The first thing you need to do is to observe and listen to the room. You need to be aware of details, ambiguities and nuances. Then you need to go out into the world for answers. Sam labels this Firing-Range exploring.

We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.                                             John Hope Franklin

In Free-Range exploring, Sam says to fill your work with life. This means to go out into the world and by way of a multitude of experiences, fill your life well. For the most part, how to fill your well is what the book is about. The following are examples:

360-Degree Exploring - Dive into your world and understand how wide it is. Sam lists categories of suggestions like personal surroundings, entertainment, internet, nature, customers, kids and a whole lot more to get you started.

Look into lifestyles - What publications, Web sites and events can help you monitor lifestyles?

Watch where people are and watch what they do - It ain't gonna happen sittin' on the couch.

Really listen - Sam uses this quote by Jiddu Krishnamurti: When you are listening to somebody completely and attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.

Ask a ton of questions - Do I really need to elaborate on this one?

Watch what thrills people - Make note of what people are WOWED by.

Make notes - When out in the world make notes in notebooks, sketchbooks, index cards or by camera or voice recorder. Be a reporter to your editor self.

Build and work your network - You know the drill.

Learn from your mistakes - Mark Twain says it best: I knew a man who grabbed a cat by the tail and learned 40% more about cats than the man who didn't.

Get out into the world - Travel to the corner of your street or to another continent. The world is your classroom.

Ideaspotting is one of the best books of its kind that I have ever read. And on a personal taste level, the book's design is absolutely intoxicating.

Ideaspotting was smoked-n-signed.