Drive and Linchpin

My youngest read his very first book on Saturday. It’s hard to believe that the baby of the family is already reading. Some day, maybe he’ll read the stuff I’m reading! Speaking of which…

At the beginning of the year, I read “Linchpin” by Seth Godin. My journey through the book was life-changing. It came on the heels of a transformational experience, so the book was the icing on a cake that shifted all of my life-paradigms. Last week, I finished “Drive” by Daniel Pink. Sheesh. I thought I was done with all the transforming. My only conclusion after reading “Drive” is that Mr. Pink and Mr. Godin are involved in a conspiracy to unleash terrible powers of creativity upon the unconscious status quo! Conspiracy, I tell you! There is no other word for it!

I guess which book is a companion for the other is a matter of which book you read first. Regardless, there’s no denying that the two books build upon each other in eerie and uncanny ways. Although I’ve already it twice, I think I have to read “Linchpin” a third time after having read “Drive.” And, I am sure, once I do that, I’ll want to read “Drive” again. With each pass of “Linchpin,” my level and depth of understanding, insight, and reflection increases, and I definitely feel that having read “Linchpin” helped me appreciate “Drive” in ways that would not have been possible without it rattling around in my brain.

I’m not here to write a full-on review of “Drive.” I am here to tell you that, if Seth opened your eyes to why YOU have to change, Daniel will open your eyes as to how you can help nudge others towards that same change. They cover a lot of the same ground, but they provide different perspectives on the implications. For example, they both discuss how the conventional education system in the United States promotes and instills certain kinds of behaviors, but the reason they expose this truth is different. For Seth, it’s about overcoming the lizard brain. For Daniel, it’s about motivating others in an effort to help them overcome the limitations of their lizard brain. On their own, each perspective is fascinating and full of more than one “a-ha” moment. When you consider both together, you gain a more complete picture of the issue, making way for some truly profound, life-shifting moments.

I’m reading a few books right now. Among them is “The Leader’s Way” by HH Dalai Lama and Laurens van den Muyzenberg. The book is written in an interesting style. As opposed to some of the other book collaborations in which the Dalai Lama has been involved, this book reads less like an interview and more like a conversation. Often, the Dalai Lama’s book collaborators write about a thesis or central idea on their own, then add in details about discussions they have had with His Holiness on that and other topics. The books come across as written by the collaborating author with supporting comments from the Dalai Lama. “The Leader’s Way” is different. It comes across as a series of 2-part meditations on topics that form a sort of central outline. Each part is an essay written by Laurens and by the Dalai Lama, alternatively. It’s incredibly effective in presenting two very different points of view on the same subjects.

I bring this style up because, in my mind, this is the next logical step for Seth and Daniel. I would LOVE to read a book written in this style by these two authors. A Godin-Pink collaboration…wow. I’m not sure if the world could handle it! There is too much to consider in this world already without the two of these guys building a compelling argument for change TOGETHER! “What Matters Now” makes it obvious that Seth could propose this kind of exploration with just about anyone. Think about how cool a book written by Seth to which different authors and thinkers respond, section by section, would be. My brain aches just considering the possibilities…

In the absence of an overt collaboration, you’ll have to settle for the conspiracy version. Go read “Drive” after you’ve read “Linchpin,” then go read “Linchpin” again. You’ll thank me for the suggestion. And when you’re ready for the inspiration to make figurative windmills out of garbage, read “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” by William Kamkwamba. You’ll thank me for that, too.