One blinding flash of the obvious that is often missed, and that could be extremely pertinent in the age of employee engagement, is “Engagement requires thinking.”  In my experience, many employee engagement approaches are still one-way communication efforts on steroids that fail to tap into the ability of employees to think and act differently.  At a time when study after study confirms that only about 20% of employees are engaged in their current work, it’s hard not to conclude that something’s not working!  Maybe “having a best friend at work” isn’t the determining factor.  Why are so many employees simply checked out at the place where they spend 40% of their waking lives…at work?

Let’s start with a key premise that’s often missed in engagement efforts – that we want to solve problems ourselves.  From Sudoku to mystery novels to crosswords, we all love the challenge of solving a puzzle.  Obviously, we could just turn to the back of the book and get the answer or read the final page.  But what’s engaging about that?  We want the intellectual and emotional experience of finding a sense of achievement in our own thinking.  When people get a chance to solve their own puzzles, they own the result.  And owners think, act, and engage differently from non-owners.  They’re vested, they’re passionate, they won’t take no for an answer, and they’re willing to put in more effort than is required.I once talked to an employee at a large Canadian bank just after she was given her first opportunity in 15 years to actively think about her business.  In an “official” group discussion, she was asked to compare and contrast major marketplace trends and consider competitive threats, industry consolidation, and consumer expectations.  The experience was a real eye-opener for her – and for her leaders.

She told me, “You know, learning and engagement require thinking.  In the past, people have tried to persuade me to do things differently in order to improve the business.  But they never asked me to think about the business.  This is the first time I’ve ever learned anything here – the first time I have really been engaged in solving our problems.  Now that I’ve had a chance to actually think about our business, I’m beginning to change my ideas about how it works and my role in it.”

And it’s not just intellectual – engagement is emotional.  You can’t possibly be engaged if someone else is trying to draw your conclusions for you.  You need the “emotional aha.”  You need to feel like you’re totally in the game by really feeling what the business needs, figuring out how you can help, and realizing why you make a difference.  The woman at the bank felt valued because her company offered her a challenge instead of spoon-feeding her a solution.  That showed her that her leaders believed that she had the ability to think.  And this energized her and created a sense of belonging, pride, ownership, and desire to go the extra mile.

Most organizations attempt to execute their strategies by doing all the thinking for their people – and then trying to persuade them to dedicate their heads, hearts, and hands to bring the strategies to life.  Our 20% engagement statistic should loudly tell us that this doesn’t work!

So to be engaged means that you know what you need to do as well as why you’re doing it.  But if you’re a leader at any level in your organization, how do you get people there?  Abraham Maslow said, “The great tragedy of the human race is the history of people selling themselves short.”

To apply this to business engagement, I’d say, “The great tragedy of the engagement movement is the history of leaders selling their people short.”  By telling employees what the answers are – solving the business puzzles – we are giving them only the answer key and depriving people of the chance to think about truly engaging in the business differently.

Jim Haudan is the CEO and founder of Root Learning.  His new book, The Art of Engagement (McGraw Hill, August 2008), explains how organizations can close the gap between their aspirations and actual, tangible results.

These eight steps will help you turn communication into a hot skill, pivotal to advancing both your career and your company’s agenda:

The first step for leaders is to constantly keep internal and external communication lines open. Quick and responsive replies to all queries will ensure that everybody is on top of the game and keeping evolving situations transparent.

The second step for leaders is to be their staff’s most valuable resource. This is done by having a constant open door so staff can feel comfortable to ask for help, share issues and problems and get advice in relation to their personalized tasks and roles.

The second step is about leaders being able to respond to all communications without interfering in their daily responsibilities. This can be done by prioritizing situations expressed in communications and practicing effective time management through vetting each communication on its individual merits.

The third step is enforcing corporate values and acceptable behaviors. This powerful tool cannot only address concerns but recognize the value of the communication and the person communicating it. It’s also a means of expressing appreciation and confidence in staff.

The fourth step is to remain focused on company/client communications through the feedback loop. This works by maintaning constant and open communications with each and every client. This level of communication accounts for the individual differences between clients. Its personalized nature improves retention and sustains the company’s advantage over competitors.

The fifth step is for companies to support their leaders in learning to communicate effectively. Not all leaders have fine-tuned communication skills. Some may need a coach or specialized training. Others may not feel comfortable making presentations, therefore requiring help in overcoming stage fright. However, if company leaders are not given the support they need, then the messages from the top can be lost or not communicated clearly to other staff.

The sixth step is overcoming resistance to communications improvement. It’s fundamental that every leader hones hiss/her skills in effective communications. Failure to do so will result in miscommunications, missed opportunitiies, customer/client/staff dissatisfaction and failure to meet objectives. If a leader refuses to cooperate, it may be become necessary to replace this leader with a new one.

The seventh step is providing communications training. Varied levels can be made available beyond the basics. This can include motivational speaking, public speakikng, media relations and effective listening/persuasion/influence. It mahy also be necessary to hire a communications specialist who will evaluate presentations and all other types of communications to see where the strengths and weaknesses lie. In turn, this person can advise, mentor and propose both changes and needed training.

The eighth step is to have a tam of communicators that can represent that company. They should be actively involved within the company and visible to others at all times.

Monster.com’s and Eons’ founder and CEO Jeff Taylor is very much aware of art daily communications. He accepted that communicating clearly so that all staff undersand the purpose and vision are critical to company success and continued profitability. Most improtantly, he recognized that the only way to pass on company messages is through all company leaders learning to communicate properly. In fact his understanding of my eight important steps in the art ofcommunications has helped him and his satff insure that this business clearly succeed.

Communications with any company is not only critical to the company’s success but an art form that cannot be ignored. Communicating daily is a top priority. Statements and other forms of communications must be directly linked to company objectives, goal, staff motivation and company values.

However, successful communications cannot be achieved simply by expressing an idea. How ideas are communicated can make or break a company. Open lines of communications must exist between leaders, staff, clients and customers. Leaders must also act as a resource for all staff, and enforce acceptable behaviors and transmit company values, and focusing on feedback from within and without the company must be maintained.

Most critically, companies must support leaders and staff in developing their communication skills. Such support has to include training, confidence in their abilities, effective communications and clearing out communications resistance. However, the best stratewgy is to create a confident team of well-trained communicators who can act as positive representatives for the company, both publicly and within company walls. With all these elements in place, success and communications become permanently linked.

Suzanne Bates, CEO of Bates Communications, is author of “Motivate Like a CEO: Communicate Your Stategic Vision and Inspire People to Act!” (McGraw Hill 2009) and the best-seller “Speak Like a CEO: Secrets for Commanding Attention and Getting Results.”  She also writes The Power Speaker Blog.

Women, in particular, need as many negotiation tools as possible, given that we’re still paid less than men for equal work, and don’t have a critical mass―and therefore equal decision-making authority―at the top of companies.  Consider the following strategies the next time you enter a negotiation at work, and remember, real-life practice is the very best preparation for negotiating!

Do Your Homework

Before a negotiation, take the time to organize yourself from an informational standpoint.  Write out why you are negotiating for whatever it is, and the reasons for it. Then begin to assemble any supporting research. The more relevant research you have, the better you will feel about your argument and the more compelling your case will be.

So, if you were going to ask for an assistant, for example, you might do research within your company to see what the standard criteria is for hiring an assistant. How many people does an assistant typically support? How senior does one have to be to have an assistant? What kind of revenue does a department have to produce in order to justify having an assistant?

You can also do benchmarking outside of your company to see how your competitors configure their work units and the employment of assistants. Outside of supporting research, you could think about how an assistant could help your team add or create new value for your organization. Many employers think of value in terms of numbers, so is there a way for you to quantify the value and contributions of what you are negotiating for? Get familiar and well acquainted with this research, as mastering your data will help you be more creative and improvisational on the spot.

Keep Your Cool

It is worth noting that walking into a negotiation without having done preparation or review of the issue at hand can be disastrous, as can spontaneous or emotion-driven negotiations. The better prepared you are in terms of the facts and your demeanor, the more successful you are likely to be. One strategy for keeping your emotions in check is to be prepared, perhaps even over-prepared, for a negotiation from an informational standpoint.

I recommend striving for a composed balance between energized and relaxed. Negotiations can feel confrontational to many women, so filling yourself with positive, empowering messages in advance of the negotiation can do you a major service.  Above all else, decide that you have a place at the negotiation table and a right to ask for what you want. If you become fearful, remind yourself of what prompted you to ask for the negotiation in the first place.

Separate for yourself the person you will be speaking with and the problem you are trying to solve—they are not the same. You can boost yourself up emotionally by dwelling on your strengths and abilities; concentrate on several of your past successes to increase your confidence and optimism. I also encourage you to invite a trusted friend, partner, classmate, mentor, or colleague to role-play the negotiation with you in advance.

Use Strategic Questioning

While you are negotiating, use the technique of asking questions, preferably open-ended questions, which can be very powerful. These questions open up dialogue and can even buy you more time if you need to gather your thoughts. These questions, some examples of which are shown below, help guide and move the conversation along.

• Can you explain how you arrived at that solution?
• How are decisions like these determined?
  Are you willing to negotiate that point?
• What is keeping us from coming to an agreement?
• How could I help you feel more comfortable with this request?
• What is most important to you? Can you explain why?
• How can we move forward?
• How can we best . . . ?
• How can we make this work for both of us?
• Is that the best you can do?
• What is the cost of us not coming to an agreement?

Silence is Your Friend

Silence, though not something we are well accustomed to in American culture, can be one of the greatest negotiation strategies at your disposal. When we are silent, we are not over-promising or under-selling in ways we will later regret, instead we are giving ourselves the precious gift of time and space. Silence affords us the luxury to contemplate our next move during a tricky or emotionally draining negotiation. While it can be tempting to fill in gaps in conversation, it is important to find ways to practice and get comfortable using silence.

Silence can have an effect on others as well; for one, it tends to make people uncomfortable. It can make your counterpart share information, restate their position, or try to guess what your position is. Each of these attempts to break the silence put you in a more favorable position. The strategy of silence is especially important for women to use since they may be tempted to accommodate their counterpart, fill a conversation void, or not want to seem “difficult” or withholding. The next time you are in a negotiation situation, experiment with being quiet rather than speaking up right away or thanking your counterpart. Silence can give you power, as well as valuable time to process the bargaining conversation. Using silence can feel awkward at first, so I urge you to practice this technique before a negotiation!

Take a Win-Win Approach

Outside of asking powerful questions and using silence well, I recommend that you look for a way for both parties to win. One of the women executives I interviewed on this subject, Roxanne Spillett, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boys and Girls Clubs of America, advised, “…Look for a ‘win-win’ in relationships and negotiations. Every time you think there’s a ‘win-loss’ situation, look for ways to make it mutually beneficial. It is always better to leave something on the table in a negotiation than to walk away with everything. This is a pretty important practice as a leader.” Coming up with creative solutions and concessions can certainly show your willingness to get to common ground in a negotiation.

Use questions to understand your counterpart’s needs, and then reiterate those needs and look for a way they can be met, preferably without your conceding something. If you must concede something, negotiate to get something else back. Since women are adept at reading body language and nonverbal communication, I recommend leveraging that skill to interpret cues such as discomfort or concern.

This is an excerpt from “The Next Generation of Women Leaders: What You Need to Lead but Won’t Learn in Business School,” a new book by Selena Rezvani.  Selena serves as the president of NextGenWomen, LLC, where she works to propel more women into top leadership through one on one coaching, corporate consulting, and training.

We all know that a resume is the primary tool for marketing your skills, knowledge, and experience to prospective employers. Most people make the mistake of treating their resume simply as a 1-2 page career history.

A more accurate perspective is to see the resume for what it is: an advertisement for a wonderful, complex, intelligent, educated, hard-working individual who can contribute significantly to a company’s success. However, as an advertisement, it cannot possibly communicate everything about who you are.

The resume is just a sample—a taste of the challenges and successes met, particularly throughout your work life. Each piece of the resume needs to be significant, positive, and effective. Each achievement, phrase, and word carefully selected to meet the goal: generating an interview.

Write to a Target Job Description

A resume will be more effective if written for a specific job in a specific industry—a Target Job. “Fine,” you might be saying. “If I knew what that is, I wouldn’t be reading this blog. I’d be working already, with my mortgage paid and my credit card payments up to date!”

Take it easy. Finding your perfect, Target Job is easier than you might think. You may even enjoy the process. But first, let’s look at the world of hiring managers—your resume’s audience. The task of a hiring manager is to find a near-perfect match between the job applicant and the job.

At the point of screening, the match of your capabilities to the requirements of the job isn’t just the big thing: it’s the only thing. Your resume must answer one question, “Can this candidate do the job?” This is why it is imperative to have a Target Job description in front of you when writing your resume.

Shopping for Your Target Job

So how do you find a Target Job description? Go shopping on the internet; the job boards are at you disposal. My favorites are  Monster.com,  CareerBuilder.com and  Indeed.com. To begin searching, type in key words that are job titles you have held in your career. Be sure to search nationally so that you get as many options as possible. As you type in job titles, you will see how many jobs with that title pop up by industry.

If you are considering an industry change, find out how your old job might play out in another industry. For example, “Sales” in manufacturing might be “Business Development” in healthcare. You are playing a jargon game, trying to determine what job titles exist for your skill set. This process will also allow you to move into industries that are growing, using the skills you already have.

Sometimes typing a job title will yield a group of jobs in a particular industry. This is how to find careers that are close to what you used to do, yet different enough to provide new challenges. For example, typing in the words “grant writer” generates a list of jobs that are open in many nonprofit organizations, such as “volunteer coordinator,” “business development director,” “CEO,” and “director.” These are all functional jobs within the industry of nonprofits.

When you find a job of interest, copy and paste it into a word document. Do this four or five times, until you have a good mix of job descriptions. Voila! The key words are those that come up repeatedly. Use these common words and phrases to help you select what information to put on your resume. In my book, New Resume New Career, there are 50 resume makeovers, showing how to reframe experience to the new Target Job requirements.

Online Sources for Job Titles

Sites such as the U.S. Department of Labor website, dol.gov, will show industries that are expanding in each state, and which job titles are in demand. You can even get a customized report for a specific metropolitan area at jobbait.com.

Another government site,  online.onetcenter.org, can help expand your career options in four distinct ways. You can search by occupation titles, skills, related occupations, or by tools and technology. You can even find a new occupation. When you type in key words from your former job, you will see a list of related occupations, either by function or by industry. The site also includes a quick skills assessment to help identify dozens of new job titles that fit your skills.

A New Way to Network

When seeking work, think about networking as extended conversations to gather insights and information for your job search. Become a career detective. Ask contacts about their own careers, about their companies, and the job titles inside that organization. Share your Target Job Title and ask if there are positions open for that title. Your contact will quickly correct you if you have the terminology wrong. If you decide to apply there, first ask to see a job description. Then, make the appropriate changes to your resume before sending it along in an email.

You will start to notice that the more specific you are, the more people are able to help. Ask about one job, and people will tell you about other, closely related jobs. The clearer you become, the more possibilities open up.

Finding a new career is one of the most daunting tasks you will ever take on as an adult. It requires hard work, some digging, and the willingness to learn. My career-changing clients have told me it’s the most rewarding work they have ever done. So check out the depth of that job market water, revise your resume, and then dive right in.

Catherine Jewell is the Career Passion® Coach and author of New Resume, New Career, a resume makeover book featuring 50 real-life career changers. She has coached more than 600 adults through mid-life career changes. For more information, check out CareerPassionCoach.com or contact her at cj@careerpassioncoach.com.

If you have any type of social media presence, from MySpace to Facebook, you should realize that all of those potential employers are watching. And you can bet that when we are talking about international jobs, they even look harder. So what does your online impression say about you? When you Google your name, what comes up? Is it you? Is it something you’re okay showing to potential employers? Or does it have a link to your Facebook page with pictures of you partying maybe just a little too much?

One of the first moves you want to make when managing your online impression is taking down anything you have posted that gives you a bad name or image, or even one that is just too casual. Think about the impression you want to be offering potential employers and make the changes in your social media to create that impression immediately! If you want to keep a more personal version of a Facebook or MySpace page, fine. But do yourself a favor and keep it under a nickname or fun alias and share it only with family and friends.

Next, research yourself online to see what’s coming up under your name that you might have forgotten about. The last thing you want a potential employer to run across is something you’ve posted online but forgot about, and therefore aren’t consciously managing. Again, the key is to put forth the impression you are deliberately trying to create.

Of course, sometimes items come up that have nothing to do with you. So what do you do if the information isn’t yours? Before writing this, I Googled myself, Alison Craig. On the first page, I showed up once in the results. None of the other Alison Craigs’ listed here were me. There were listings for some doctors and a furniture store company. Those postings didn’t bother me much. The listings that did concern me were on the following pages for another author with the same name, Alison Craig. This Alison Craig doesn’t write at all on jobs and interview skills, but would a perspective employer be able to easily distinguish me from her? And do you have an online twin that has just enough in common with you to confuse a perspective employer?

If you do find yourself in the same boat as I am, there are a few things you can do to minimize any misinterpretations of the real you.

1. Photo Up. From social media to your email signature, get your pretty face out there. Make sure you use the same professional looking headshot on everything. If by chance you don’t have a professional head shot, no worries. Go outside and have your friend take a few shots. Choose the best and use a free online site to crop and edit your new headshot.
2. Get Your Name Out There. Be active on your social media sites, create new accounts so that your name and profile come up more often than the other guy or gal. Create a blog telling of your job search experiences and maybe even make light of the fact that there’s “another you” online. A note of caution here: if you’re applying for a position internationally, do research into the linguistics of the region to which you are applying. For example, if you are applying for a job in the UK, make sure that in your blog posts and social media updates you use words that would not be offensive or out of context in that country. Being aware of such differences can go a long way in minimizing any potential miscommunication.
3. Direct. Direct. Direct. Send a potential employer to your well-managed social media by directing them there. On the bottom of your email signature add the links to your blog and social media accounts. This way when that new potential employer wants to learn more about you, their need to Google you is minimized and the information they do find supports you rather than sabotages you.

The key is to remember that online information can either be helpful or hurtful, so be aware of your cyber image. Creating and maintaining an online impression that supports the core of you may take some work, but what a great resource to assist you in landing that perfect job!

Alison Craig is an author, speaker, and the CEO of 3 Impressions, Inc, an impression management firm. The 3 Impressions ^SM ideology of Craig’s transforms individuals and corporations from a mundane, mainstream existence to a place that reflects a zealous, passionate, and free spirit with a distinct and focused direction, leading to a life lived on a level unattained by many. For more information, visit www.3impressions.com.

But in reality, very few people spend the time and energy needed to accurately research a company in a way that will positively impact their interview, the company, and their own potential employment.

If you are serious about wanting the job, you must do more than just apply with a wait and see attitude. In the current employment environment, you have to give before you get that job. Begin by actively researching the company BEFORE you submit your resume. Companies are looking for those diligent candidates who are willing to put in the work right from the beginning. Don’t just go to the company’s website and look around for a minute or two. Really check them out. Locate, read, and dissect their mission statement, vision, and goals.

Also check out the “Career” section of their site. Some corporations may not have much of anything here, while others will offer you a step-by-step guide to their hiring process. I have even seen companies with videos of actual employees by region and job talking about the company and of course how much they love their position. Use this information to your advantage! Companies such as these are basically spelling it out for you. Some even show you what they want you to wear.

Now what happens if all you have is the company’s vision and mission statement? Read. Read. Read. You want to know what that company stands for, believes in and expects from their employees. When you begin to truly study different companies, you will find that 3 main threads tend to run through any given company.

Look to those threads as an indicator of the company’s values and ideals. You will know what a company values because the words and phrases that indicate their values will be repeated throughout. Once you’ve located these words or phrases, figure out ways to incorporate them into your resume in a manner that applies to you and your particular skill set. Then, once you land the interview, reiterate these core values and ideals during the conversation with your potential employer.

In addition to helping you better understand the company for which you are aspiring to work, your research will guide you in your decision on what to wear. The clothes you select for the interview are an important part of the overall impression you are working to create. Just as you tailor each resume you submit to highlight the areas of strength that a particular company wants, so too should you change what you wear to an interview.

If a company talks about tradition, strength, and always being there, a traditional suit in neutral colors will reflect those words in your clothing. If a company mentions sharing, friendliness, and teamwork, consider clothes which are less stuffy than a traditional suit and try incorporating colors such as blue for friendliness and green for calmness.

Keep in mind, the research you do is really just as much for you as it is for them. If a company’s website and overall tone doesn’t match where you truly want to work, then you know going in that this job may not be a perfect fit.

No matter what position you are going for, no two companies are the same; so don’t make the mistake of approaching them the same way. Do your research and tailor yourself to each company’s needs. It’s one of the strongest ways to communicate that you are a great fit and that the candidate they’ve been searching for is right there in front of them.

Alison Craig is an author, speaker, and the CEO of 3 Impressions, Inc, an impression management firm. The 3 Impressions ^SM ideology of Craig’s transforms individuals and corporations from a mundane, mainstream existence to a place that reflects a zealous, passionate, and free spirit with a distinct and focused direction, leading to a life lived on a level unattained by many. For more information, visit www.3impressions.com.

Here are five ways to prepare yourself for professional situations and become a more confident job seeker:

• Read the (industry) news. Many recent graduates struggle in professional situations because they feel so different from the people they are meeting with. Well, one of the easiest ways to find common knowledge is to talk about current events taking place in the news.  Not only will you portray yourself as an informed individual who is in tune with the goings-on of the world, but you will also notice yourself forming opinions on current events and topics and gain personal confidence through your knowledge.Even better?  Read news directly related to the industry you’re entering so that you can speak on even more relevant topics.  Even if your knowledge isn’t impressive, you can show an initiative and desire to learn that other candidates may not display.
  

• Do background research. You should always enter a professional situation with some research under your belt because if you know what you’re dealing with, you will be much more comfortable and confident.  Spend some time on the company Web site learning as much as you can about the company.  Formulate some questions that show you did some preparation.  Look at it like studying for a test: If you put a lot of effort into preparing and you are comfortable with the information, are you going to be nervous? No.

• Practice with strangers. This is a fairly easy way to become more comfortable meeting and talking with people whom you just met.  Make small talk with the bank teller, start a conversation with the woman next to you at the bus stop, or introduce yourself to your neighbors in the apartment down the hall.  Get used to introducing yourself and talking to people you don’t know because you will get a good feel for the easiest ways to enter, continue and exit conversations.  Pretty soon it will come naturally.

• Get a tailored suit (or the female equivalent). I’m not saying that you have to go out and spend a lot of money on professional attire (you can get suits for under $100), but you should wear something that at least fits you properly.  Although true self-confidence must come from within, you don’t want to be worrying about your appearance when you go in for the interview.  If you are happy with the way you look, you will radiate self-confidence.

• Take every interview. This is just about getting practice in an interview setting.  You will notice that many of the questions you are asked in interviews are the same—or at least similar—and getting practice.  Nothing works as well as the real thing, so treat every interview as a learning experience and get as much exposure to the job search process as you can.

It is natural to be nervous in unfamiliar situations, but the more exposure and practice you have with the job search process, the better you will become and, more importantly, the more confident you will feel.  So get out there, get some practice and soon you will be wondering why you were so nervous in the first place.

Mario Schulzke is the creator of CareerSparx, an online course that helps recent college graduates begin their careers. For more information, download a free 61-page guide on how to start your career.

The most difficult part of sitting in the hot seat during an interview is knowing when to strike a balance. When asked to describe a previous job experience, do you go into detail, and if so, how much detail?

Hiring managers say that rambling too much will hurt your chances of getting a job. Instead, focus on talking about skills that you picked up in school or pervious job experiences, or qualities you inherently possess, that you can use in the job you are being interviewed for. Also, show your personality and your enthusiasm for the job and the company (this is where all the pre-interview research you did about the hospital will come in handy) but at the same time, don’t be too energetic or animated because that will come across as fake, which is a turn-off as well.

His book Art is Work is mainly a collection of his design work, but he opens it with a curious and powerful insight. He says everything we do falls into three basic categories: Bad Work • Good Work • Great Work.

You Already Know What These Categories Mean

Over the years, I’ve asked thousands of people at hundreds of different organizations what these categories mean to them. Intuitively, they know—and their answers can be summed up like this:

Bad Work

Bad Work is a waste of time, energy, and life. Doing it once is one time too many. This is not something to be polite about. It’s not something to be resigned to. This is work that is pointless.

Sadly, organizations have a gift for generating Bad Work. It shows up as bureaucracy, interminable meetings, outdated processes that waste everyone’s time, and other ways of doing things that squelch you rather than help you grow.

Good Work

Good Work is the familiar, useful, productive work you do—and you likely do it well. You probably spend most of your time on Good Work, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Good Work blossoms from your training, your education, and the path you’ve traveled so far. All in all, it’s a source of comfort, nourishment, and success.

There’s a range of Good Work: At one end it’s engaging and interesting work; at the other, it is more mundane but you recognize its necessity and are happy enough to spend some time doing it.

You always need Good Work in your life. At an organizational level, Good Work is vital. It is a company’s bread and butter—the efficient, focused, profitable work that delivers next quarter’s returns.

Great Work

Great Work is what we all want more of. This is the work that is meaningful to you, that has an impact and makes a difference. It inspires, stretches, and provokes. Great Work is the work that matters.

It is a source of both deep comfort and engagement—often you feel as if you’re in the “flow zone,” where time stands still and you’re working at your best, effortlessly. The comfort comes from its connection, its “sight line,” to what is most meaningful to you—not only your core values, and beliefs, but also your aspirations and hopes for the impact you want to have on the world.

But Great Work is also a place of uncertainty and discomfort. The discomfort arises because the work is often new and challenging, and so there’s an element of risk and possible failure. Because this is work that matters, work that you care about, you don’t want it to fail. But because it’s new and challenging, there’s a chance that it might.

For organizations, Great Work drives strategic difference, innovation, and longevity. Often it’s the kind of inventive work that pushes business forward, which leads to new products, more efficient systems, and increased profits.

So Far, So Good

Those are three fairly straightforward definitions. You’re probably nodding your head and thinking, “Yep, I get that.” But how do you get the balance right? What’s your perfect mix?

The truth is there is no perfect mix. Finding the right mix between your Good Work and Great Work (with no Bad Work) is the practice of a lifetime. And even if you do find a harmonious balance now, it will change. The best mix for this year won’t be right twelve months later.

A number of factors account for this:

1. Great Work decays. Over time, Great Work decays into Good Work. As Great Work becomes comfortable and familiar as you master it, it no longer provides the challenge, stretch, or rewards it once did. Your Great Work of today won’t be your Great Work five years from now.

The iPod syndrome kicks in. Remember how special iPods were when they first arrived on the scene? Now everyone has one, and they’re taken for granted.

2.  Good Work has its attractions. Even as we hunger for more Great Work, we’re always drawn back to the comfort of Good Work. It’s a perpetual tension—the challenge, risk, and reward of the Great against the familiarity, efficiency, and safety of the Good.

3.       Different years demand different responses. Some years are “stretch”
years when you go for it; others are years to conserve your strength, gathering ideas and laying the groundwork for your next initiative. This ebb and flow reminds me of an anniversary card I once saw that read, “Thanks for 20 great years . . . 7 average years . . . and 2 absolute stinkers.”

But here’s one thing I bet you’ve never said: “I have too much Great Work.” Because no one says, “My life’s just too interesting, too stimulating, too engaging, too fulfilling, too provocative. . . .” No one says, “I don’t want to do more Great Work.”

In fact whatever your mix might currently be, almost inevitably you’re hungry for more Great Work.

Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder and senior partner of Box of Crayons, a company that works with organizations, ranging from AstraZeneca to Xerox, to help them do more great work. With contributions by Seth Godin, a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change.  To read more about their new book, visit Do More Great Work (Workman, 2010).

His book Art is Work is mainly a collection of his design work, but he opens it with a curious and powerful insight. He says everything we do falls into three basic categories: Bad Work • Good Work • Great Work.

You Already Know What These Categories Mean

Over the years, I’ve asked thousands of people at hundreds of different organizations what these categories mean to them. Intuitively, they know—and their answers can be summed up like this:

Bad Work

Bad Work is a waste of time, energy, and life. Doing it once is one time too many. This is not something to be polite about. It’s not something to be resigned to. This is work that is pointless.

Sadly, organizations have a gift for generating Bad Work. It shows up as bureaucracy, interminable meetings, outdated processes that waste everyone’s time, and other ways of doing things that squelch you rather than help you grow.

Good Work

Good Work is the familiar, useful, productive work you do—and you likely do it well. You probably spend most of your time on Good Work, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Good Work blossoms from your training, your education, and the path you’ve traveled so far. All in all, it’s a source of comfort, nourishment, and success.

There’s a range of Good Work: At one end it’s engaging and interesting work; at the other, it is more mundane but you recognize its necessity and are happy enough to spend some time doing it.

You always need Good Work in your life. At an organizational level, Good Work is vital. It is a company’s bread and butter—the efficient, focused, profitable work that delivers next quarter’s returns.

Great Work

Great Work is what we all want more of. This is the work that is meaningful to you, that has an impact and makes a difference. It inspires, stretches, and provokes. Great Work is the work that matters.

It is a source of both deep comfort and engagement—often you feel as if you’re in the “flow zone,” where time stands still and you’re working at your best, effortlessly. The comfort comes from its connection, its “sight line,” to what is most meaningful to you—not only your core values, and beliefs, but also your aspirations and hopes for the impact you want to have on the world.

But Great Work is also a place of uncertainty and discomfort. The discomfort arises because the work is often new and challenging, and so there’s an element of risk and possible failure. Because this is work that matters, work that you care about, you don’t want it to fail. But because it’s new and challenging, there’s a chance that it might.

For organizations, Great Work drives strategic difference, innovation, and longevity. Often it’s the kind of inventive work that pushes business forward, which leads to new products, more efficient systems, and increased profits.

So Far, So Good

Those are three fairly straightforward definitions. You’re probably nodding your head and thinking, “Yep, I get that.” But how do you get the balance right? What’s your perfect mix?

The truth is there is no perfect mix. Finding the right mix between your Good Work and Great Work (with no Bad Work) is the practice of a lifetime. And even if you do find a harmonious balance now, it will change. The best mix for this year won’t be right twelve months later.

A number of factors account for this:

1. Great Work decays. Over time, Great Work decays into Good Work. As Great Work becomes comfortable and familiar as you master it, it no longer provides the challenge, stretch, or rewards it once did. Your Great Work of today won’t be your Great Work five years from now.

The iPod syndrome kicks in. Remember how special iPods were when they first arrived on the scene? Now everyone has one, and they’re taken for granted.

2.  Good Work has its attractions. Even as we hunger for more Great Work, we’re always drawn back to the comfort of Good Work. It’s a perpetual tension—the challenge, risk, and reward of the Great against the familiarity, efficiency, and safety of the Good.

3.       Different years demand different responses. Some years are “stretch”
years when you go for it; others are years to conserve your strength, gathering ideas and laying the groundwork for your next initiative. This ebb and flow reminds me of an anniversary card I once saw that read, “Thanks for 20 great years . . . 7 average years . . . and 2 absolute stinkers.”

But here’s one thing I bet you’ve never said: “I have too much Great Work.” Because no one says, “My life’s just too interesting, too stimulating, too engaging, too fulfilling, too provocative. . . .” No one says, “I don’t want to do more Great Work.”

In fact whatever your mix might currently be, almost inevitably you’re hungry for more Great Work.

Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder and senior partner of Box of Crayons, a company that works with organizations, ranging from AstraZeneca to Xerox, to help them do more great work. With contributions by Seth Godin, a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change.  To read more about their new book, visit Do More Great Work (Workman, 2010).