Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet

I purchased this as a gift for my niece. My own well-worn copy was staying with me. The book arrived promptly and in great condition, and was summarily forwarded to the budding family reformer.

While heavy in theory this is a very important book that is worth the time and effort required to read it. It is a book that belongs on the reading list of every high school and trade school teacher, college instructors and career counselors, and on the desks of all mentors and CEOs - and politicians. That's right - ALL educators, ALL CEOs and ALL politicians. It is a concept that needs to reach students, protégés, parents and all segments of the workforce. In today's educational, business and political environments, the concept of true excellence has disappeared - and I can't help but believe it is because of a total ethics breakdown beginning with educators, business and political leaders, and sifting down to their students, managers, and employees. It all boils down to this: "You only get one chance to make a first impression," so why not do it the right way? Yes, it is hard to fight the system, to do things the right way instead of bowing to pressure, greed, political compromise -- and a fear to be different. The critical decisions we need in order to meet today's challenges are made with an understanding that to do what's right often takes "guts" - in politics, in business, and in the workforce. (The review is author of "Top Cops: Profiles of Women in Command" and "Personal Publicity Planner: A Guide to Marketing YOU")

Howard Gardner has forever altered the landscape of American education through his development of the notion of "muliple intelligences," which says that people (including children and adolescents) can be "smart" in various ways. If reading, writing, and 'rithmatic aren't a person's strong spots, he may still be very bright in other areas. When Gardner first began studying and writing about multiple intelligences, it seemed revolutionary. Now it defines the accepted mainstream in how adept teachers conduct their classrooms. When such a great mind decides that he wants to turn away from multiple intelligences theory and put his energies elsewhere (for the rest of his life if he can find the funding), it is worth noting what that area is. Gardner has explicitly said the subject of "Good Work" (both what it is and how we can foster and encourage it) so interests and engages him that he could study it for decades to come. It seems to me that suggests it's not a bad idea to inquire what "Good Work" is all about. Gardner and his colleagues wonder what work that is both excellent (of the highest quality, no cut corners) and ethical (of the sort that makes you proud to look yourself in the mirror and announce what you do for a living) looks like and where it thrives. Their approach is simultaneously scientifically rigourous and achievably applicable. We live in a time when the corporate model of profit through any means (or any means that won't turn away most consumers) dominates the business mindframe. We need a new paradigm and vocabulary for discussing what success is all about and how it can be reached. Gardner and his partners have begun that great work.

Having worked for America Online 6 years ago (right before that I worked at a restaurant by the murrah building in okc when it was blown up by mcveigh), I feel I have a pretty good perspective on this kind of stuff. Quoting Gasset "The mass crushes beneath it everything that is different, everything that is excellent, individual, qualified and select...anyone not like everybody runs the risk of being eliminated.." The book in a sense tells about two types of people. Those who care about others, and those who care about themselves. Unfortunatly in a world where the competitive nature of man always leads to violence (be it physical, or of the subtle, mental sort) the bad will almost always win out. Having lost a number of friends (literally) due to the operant conditioned nature of life today, and through the media forcing kids to be "cool" to fit in (...) Anyway, the issues presented in this book, which essentially are an argument against Skinner's promotion of "blank slate" minds that are to be conditioned through "experience", are good ones...however, if you truly understand that you can never, ever do enough to combat the hate and the evil that is so prevelant in the world today, you might want to not read this book...however, if you are aloof and like to buy products and watch movies that the critics agree are "explosive" and, if a sequal "twice as explosive as the first", you might find this book interesting...but probably a bit too academic, and will feel that it should be reserved for Intellectuals or whatever...(...), what do i know.

I was intrigued by the title of this book and really wanted to like it, but found myself struggling to stay focused while reading it. The three contributing authors have impressive academic credentials and I suppose this work will be used in university classrooms throughout the country, but I think the people who really need to hear the message that technology, economics and ethics can (and should) co-exist will not be attracted to this format. The authors define people who do good work as: "People who do good work, in our sense of the term, are clearly skilled in one or more professional realms. At the same time, rather than merely following money or fame alone, or choosing the path of least resistance when in conflict, they are thoughtful about their responsibilities and the implications of their work." The authors spend a lot of time discussing Journalism and Genetics and how ethics and good work in these two arenas are under seige from a market-driven economy. They offer up solutions on how to restore good work to the world and they share their methods of studying good work and their interviewing protocols, but the subject matter is just too academic for the average worker who struggles with ethics v. economics. Maybe the book will reach university professors...and they'll share it with their students...and they'll go out into the world and strive to do 'good work.' Let's hope so.