"Alvin...great insight. I agree! All of us can't be the Quarterback. Someone has to tape ankles, someone has to block, someone has to hold the camera, and someone has to be a spectator.

Some people take the "Cog" jobs because it gives them the free time to work on their big idea. Others just enjoy mindless work that allows them plenty of free time for family, hobbies, etc.

By definition everyone can't be a linchpin."

- @austinklee

"wow... this is great Alvin. I LOVE the part where you bust chops on the iStock photo use. That's literally priceless to read. :)"

- Stephen

"Thanks Alvin.

Of course the economy will always need bottlewashers. That doesn't mean you have to be one.

There's no risk that "everyone" will read a book, never mind follow the advice therein. I have no illusions that even 2% of the people reading this book will overcome the resistance and actually do the work that they're capable of. My point, which I guess I didn't make clearly enough for you, is that the system (the one our grandparents built because it made the world rich) is not natural or the ways things used to be. Some people will overcome their fear and make a difference, while some won't.

As for the cover, nowhere in the book (nowhere) do I make the point that everyone should buy art, all the time. Commodity products will continue to exist, and why not? How would a bespoke rendition of the cover had helped me sell more books? How would handmade paper have had a bigger impact on the reader at a cost they could afford?

Back to that original disconnect you and I are having: I'm not arguing for a handmade world. I'm arguing that anyone who cares, who has guts and who chooses to can use this moment in time to become an artist at whatever they do. It's an opportunity and a choice. I hope you take it."

- seth godin

"Refreshing and civil sharpening between a great thinker and an award winning artisan. This is a good blog. We should all be encouraged in whatever form it takes to pursue what we are best at, and in kind turn to the person next to you and return the favor. Where would the sculptor get his steel, and the steel man find his solace, but for the gift of diversity. Before the end of the day ask the question of someone in your life; "How can I help you do more of what you are good at?""

- @branderfield

"I would add that everyone has a choice to make a difference regardless of where they exist in the organization. It's the responsibility of the CEO to create a design culture that offers the opportunity for the stakeholders (employees)."

- Reggie

"Mr Godin,

I never made the argument that all people should always buy art. Let's not argue with strawman technicalities. My reason for bringing up the iStockPhoto is that it contradicts your fundamental position in the text.

Your point, as you have stated, is that the reader does not have to be a bottlewasher. You strive to bring out the artisan within the reader. To motivate them into something more than a “cog” in the system.

Yet you choose to pick a cog off the shelf and let it be the primary visual representation of your ideas.

I can't promise that a well-crafted cover could have helped you sell more books. But that's not what it's about. Art is about being remarkable. Human. It’s about adding the type of value that can’t be measured by crunching numbers. That's what you were trying to hammer into the reader's mind.

From Linchpin:

“A great designer like Jonathan Ive is worth a hundred times as much as a good one. Where does Apple add value? If all MP3 players play the same music, why is an iPod worth so much more than a generic one?”

Look, I agree with the premise of the book. I said it in my original post. Choosing craft over cog has always been something very important to me, well before I read Linchpin. I try, as much as I can, to live it out. To choose the farmer over the factory. To choose art not only because of what's on the surface, but because of the care and consideration behind it. Care -- that is what makes someone a linchpin. And unfortunately I don't see it in the book."

- Alvin Diec

"man. This really sucks. I'm a fan of both Seth & Alvin. But, when it comes to choosing sides, I have to go with the third view: This should be a phone conversation, not a comment argument.

After reading all the comments, I'm pretty sure yall are saying the same thing; except for the clip art cover (which I aesthetically have to side with Alvin (never been a fan of the binding and covers of Seth's books (which is why I listen to the audio :)))).

What I gathered from Linchpin (Alvin I want to hear your thoughts after you read the whole book) is that in our humanity we are all indispensable. We all have unique lives, and if we are not all passionately putting our unique lives into our work, we are not being the artist (humans) we should be. We have given in to the resistance.

I have a big family, and when I was reading this book one of my brothers kept popping into my mind. He is an example of a cog who has completely given in to the resistance. If I were to show this book to my brother, he would read the first 2 pages, put it down and never think of it again.

This book is not for him.

However, another one of my brothers came into my mind as well. He is a cog, and he knows it. He is very unhappy with being a cog. He has crazy big ideas all the time, and he never is able to to get through the dig to pursue them. I'm planning on giving him this book. I have a feeling he's going to read it in one sitting.

This book is for him.

Now, which person is more valuable?

WRONG! It's a trick question, because that's not the purpose of the book. They are both valuable, indispensable people; the only difference is one of them may recognize it.

Will the one who recognizes his potential quit his job? Maybe. But maybe not. It actually doesn't matter. Position doesn't dictate whether or not you're an artist. An artist is someone who creates meaningful work that affects peoples lives, no matter what job they are in. The medium doesn't matter, so long as you can present your art excellently.

I believe when Seth says "The future belongs to chefs", that doesn't mean all cooks should stop what they're doing. But, give me a cook who is as passionate as a chef, who takes her job as serious, and values her craft as much as a chef. She is just as much an artist.

When a cog realize she's a cog, and starts thinking like a linchpin, her life changes. If everyone did this, I would be wearing the best Alabama artisan sneakers, made by a guy 40 miles from Birmingham, for around $125."

- CalebC.

"Well put, Caleb. The book has some real merit. It's a bit redundant, which is odd for Seth, but overall I think the idea is that we all have more to give than the cog system would have us believe. When we embrace that idea, we do stuff that matters. I don't agree with everything in the book, but I wholeheartedly agree with that."

- Jeremy Carter

"(Disclaimer: I'm biased...I love Godin's books for their different ideas and hopeful stance and I dislike Alvin's blogs for their relentlessly critical-of-anything-mainstream-or-popular tone) My first thought when reading Alvin's article was 'no chance he actually read the book.' It seemed to be circular logic that ignored the point of Godin's book because he didn't like the cover. Personally, I wish Godin had asked designers to submit potential cover designs for free...then we could have jumped straight to the profanity and saved some time.

I guess I just saw Godin as saying, 'be careful, because the life of a cog is no longer guaranteed to work, much less be fulfilling.'

And Alvin replied 'you're a hypocrite, because you bought a stock photo.'

I feel like Linchpin was concerned with the question 'what are you going to produce' and Alvin loves asking 'what are you going to consume.' Both important questions and certainly related, but you can't switch back and forth without having a pointless argument."

- jeremiah

"Alvin, thank you for not only writing a brilliant analysis but for also successfully refuting Seth's response here on this blog. I've been increasingly disappointed with his newer books (and blog entries) where he merely gives sound byte "fortune cookie" type advice without really paying attention to the actual way things in relation to what he's advocating. He's capable of far more."

- taylor