Everything has changed. Nothing has changed. To paraphrase Charles Dickens, These are the best of times. These are the worst of times. in the most important ways we are out of the recession. The vast majority of businesses no longer use the economy as an excuse for standing still. Most businesses now understand that they have to do something different if they don’t want to join the 200,000 businesses that went belly up in 2009. Seth Godin in his new book, Linchpin- Are you indispensable? makes a compelling argument that the only form of job security in the new economy is being someone who cannot be replaced because their contribution is unique and invaluable. While it is essential that we encourage linchpins to help build the new sustainable economy, we need a linchpin organization for them to work in and grow with. Linchpin businesses are indispensable to their customers, employees, investors, and external business partners. They promote a product or customer experience that cannot be measured in dollars. What they offer in the marketplace becomes an essential part of our lives. Think about Google, Apple, National Public Radio, The New York Times, Netflix, the compassionate and responsive primary care physician, an accountant who really knows your business. There probably are not enough Linchpin companies in our life.

The most powerful creators have the ability to hold their vision and live with the tension of knowing that what they are creating is not yet complete. We can learn the process of creating and the importance of starting with a blank slate. If we can empty our minds of assumptions and preconceived notions, the vision of what is possible will arise gracefully of its own accord.

Mark Monchek ruminates on the recent local elections, Warren Buffet’s railroad dealings and the new Amelia Earheart biopic.

Mark Monchek looks at ways to take the chaos of the Fourth Quarter and turn it into a period of self-reflection and growth.