Earlier this year, I ran a small guest series on things that need to change in American education. In “Linchpin” I loved how Godin pointed the finger at modern education as one of the culprits contributing to the epidemic of compliant workers, cogs in a corporate machine.

(Aside: I think all teachers should read this book.)

The book explains how we got here, how to become indispensable in the workplace, how to overcome the resistance and fear of the lizard brain, and the seven abilities of a linchpin. It might be the most important career book you will ever read. Here’s the review:

And here are eight of my favorite quotes from the book:

• Outsourcing and automation and the new marketing punish anyone who is merely good, merely obedient, and merely reliable.
• We’ve been trained to believe that mediocre obedience is a genetic fact for most of the population, but it’s interesting to note that this trait doesn’t show up until after a few years of schooling.
• The launch of universal (public and free) education was a profound change in the way our society works, and it was a deliberate attempt to transform our culture. And it worked. We trained millions of factory workers.
• Classrooms become fear-based, test-based battlefields, when they could so easily be organized to encourage the heretical thought we so badly need.
• Doesn’t matter if you’re always right. It matters that you’re always moving.
• Discomfort brings engagement and change. Discomfort means you’re doing something that others were unlikely to do, because they’re busing hiding out in the comfortable zone. When you’re uncomfortable actions lead to success, the organization rewards you and brings you back for more.
• Here’s the truth that you have to wrestle with: the reason that art (writing, engaging, leading, all of it) is valuable is precisely why I can’t tell you how to do it.
• Transferring your passion to your job is far easier than finding a job that happens to match your passion.

Have you read the book? What did you think? What other career-oriented books would you recommend to the readers here at Ryan Stephens Marketing?

A serial entrepreneur and friend of mine asked me last night how I was enjoying my 9-5. This guy has more projects than Michael Jackson had #1 songs. He loves what he does and he makes a lot of money.

He always seems miffed when I say I genuinely love my 9 to 5 gig. I explain that it has nothing to do with security, benefits, routine, or structure, but it’s always hard to articulate why it really is about the mission.

I have the entrepreneurial spirit, which is why I’ll always have a side hustle, but I hope that you’ll watch this video and get a better sense of why I love my day job.

These are the people I get to meet. These are the stories I get to share. And then hopefully, as a result, someone finds us when they (or a loved one) needs us most and they give our doctors a chance to save their life.

Knowing that I may have had even the tiniest sliver of a contribution in that process ensures that I won’t be leaving my 9-5 anytime soon.

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Here’s my video review of Hugh MacLeod’s book, “Evil Plans.”

You can check out other book reviews here.

I had a post queued up, but this video is more important.

RSA Animate adapted a talk given by Sir Ken Robinson on creativity, education, and changing paradigms.

It’s epic. Watch. It. Now.

This is something I’m extremely passionate about. I think the entire system Kindergarten through College is extremely flawed.

I don’t know if we can make a difference, but I do know how smart my readers are so as I write this I’m brainstorming a collaborative project featuring posts/videos from you all sharing what you wish you would’ve learned in school.

I haven’t hashed out any details, but please ping me if this piques your interest and/or if it sounds like something you might like to participate in.

Two distinct approaches, only one works consistently.

Nobody cares about your accolades or your other clients. They can read about that stuff on your fancy website. If they’re in your office or on the phone chances are they want to know one thing: WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME?

Don’t inundate a potential client with a 10 minute spiel about yourself and your 27 different services. Hear them out, really listen, determine together what they need and then dig into your arsenal and deliver just that. It works. I promise.

Tweet This: (Copy & Paste into Twitter):
[Video]: The Hard Sell Doesn’t Work Anymore? –> http://bit.ly/98gy8G

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Or maybe more appropriately titled, “Learn to trust your own instincts.”

Sometimes you know what you’re “supposed” to do. You’ve heard the advice countless times and if you asked 10 really smart people you trust and respect they’ll all tell you the same thing.

Sometimes they’re 100% right.

And sometimes you need to remember that even if those people have your best interests at heart chances are they’re viewing the situation from their perspective, through their lens of the world.

They can’t understand that you don’t sleep at night, and that there’s an inextricable force inside you insisting you follow your instincts. It’s usually not something you can articulate, and it may be completely irrational, but I’m willing to bet that it’s probably what’s right for you.

Watch this video. And start trusting that voice.

What do you think? What do you do when you’re faced with these situations? How much do you let what other people would think or say dictate the approach you take to your own life? (If you say not at all you’re probably a liar.) When you’ve trusted your instincts how has it worked out for you?

Tweet This: (Copy & Paste into Twitter):
[Video]: Who Cares What Other People Think? –> http://bit.ly/awrSUS

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I put this video together on the fly for Sydney Owen and the rest of theSX Gen Y team who will be presenting their panel discussion on “Why Gen Y Wants to Work ‘With’ You, Not ‘For’ You,” at South by Southwest on Monday, March 15th.

Since I did the video in one take during my lunch break last Friday afternoon I didn’t really think much about what I was going to say. I really just let it spill off the tongue, and the result when I re-watched the video was that I don’t think Gen Y is all that different from other generations. I genuinely believe most employees would appreciate their managers taking these 5 things into consideration:

If you’re a member of Generation Y do you find that these things apply to you? If you’re an older employee how do these tips stack up in terms of importance for you? Finally, are Gen Y employees really all that different from their elders?

Tweet This: (Copy & Paste into Twitter):
5 Tips to Successfully Managing Gen Y –> http://bit.ly/bdKGKz

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Lately we’ve been having some great discussions about things I’m passionate about improving in the workplace like having more successful meetings, and the importance of alone time. Rich chimed in with a potential solution for some of these problems, telecommuting.

Today, I want to take that discussion a step further. Here’s a relatively short video (6:43) from Jason Fried* (37 Signals) on what’s wrong with the structure of the modern workplace:

Some of Jason’s solutions are: shifting collaboration to more passive things to avoid disruption, changing managerial approaches, and realizing there’s rarely business emergencies.

Most of you that read this blog are probably smarter than me so here’s what I want to know:

1.) What are some other problems you’ve witnessed in a traditional workplace? Inefficiencies? Hierarchical structure?
2.) What solutions do you propose for the problems Jason diagnosis (in addition to the ones he mentioned the video)?

I’d like to spend some time discussing both with the hope that together we can continue identifying problematic scenarios, I can discuss how’d I’d fix them here, and then you can come back and build off of my analysis so that we come up with an even more viable solution.

Tweet This: Why You Can’t Work at Work –> http://bit.ly/aVajK0

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*Jason has inspired a lot of my thinking on how to optimize business for productivity, profitability, morale, and more.

I don’t like making anyone think too hard on a Friday so I took the time to review a couple of books I recently finished.

“Trust Agents” by Chris Brogan & Julien Smith and “A Whole New Mind” by Daniel Pink. (Both are affiliate links). I received “Trust Agents” via a contest giveaway on Twitter, and purchased “A Whole New Mind” based on recommendations from Jenny Blake and Charlie Hoehn.

Both books are solid reads and worthy of your shelf. They were also really self-affirming, but not necessarily life altering or game changing (for me).

Have you read either of these? What was your perception? If you’ve read both, which one impacted you more? What other books should I get my hands on in the near future?

Something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is the nature of favors, particularly the dynamic between the two parties making the exchange.

When Jackie asks me to edit his weekly report, I don’t hesitate because he’s also my editor (and he probably makes less mistakes than me).

But how about that friend that always takes and never gives anything in return?

Is a 15 minute video interview worth 30 hits and 2 new subscribers to your blog?

These are the kinds of things we have to navigate not only in the online world, but in our everyday lives as well.

Check out my video rant featuring 4 things you need to be mindful of when approaching someone to ask them a favor.

And be forewarned I think we all take ourselves a little too seriously sometimes so I had a little bit of fun with this video. I also tried holding the camera on my own, which in retrospect was not a good idea (MILK WAS A BAD CHOICE!) so as a disclaimer: You may experience motion sickness upon watching this video.

Tweet This: (Copy & Paste into Twitter):
A Quick Rant on Favors –> http://bit.ly/cZPlYd

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