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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Great Work summary
David Sturt
How to Make a Difference People Love
14 mins
Topics
Table of Contents
Great Work
Summary of 7 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 7
Think about how the way you do your job can benefit others.
Imagine that you’re recovering from surgery in a hospital. Which would you prefer: a janitor who noisily rushes through his cleaning routine in the ward, or one who recognizes your suffering, and works carefully and quietly?
Clearly, the way this janitor does his job affects your well-being. In the same way, the way you do your job will always have a huge impact on others.
Yet most of us work with our heads down, so immersed in checking off our daily to-do list that we miss all of the other factors in work life. The noisy janitor, for example, isn’t trying to be insensitive. He’s just preoccupied with getting all the rooms cleaned as quickly as possible.
However, we can broaden our perspective by working with our head up. Job crafting can help us change our perception of work – from being something we just need to do, to a vehicle through which we can make a positive difference in people’s lives. In this example, it means the janitor changing his routine so he causes the least disturbance and noise.
But crafting your job isn’t enough. You can also reframe in order to discover what benefits you can provide for others.
Reframing is when you make a mental link between your job and a greater purpose: its value to society and its potential to make a difference.
Reframing is about considering how your work affects others, and trying to see a larger purpose beyond the immediate goals of your job.
A hospital janitor might see the potential to improve patients’ mood simply by talking to them and making subtle rearrangements in their rooms.
You too can take your work beyond the to-do list by reframing your role.
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What is Great Work about?
Whether you're an entrepreneur or a corporate employee, Great Work lays out the five primary skills you need to make a difference that people will love. These blinks look at iconic innovations from recent history to offer clear examples of how you can create or improve upon your ideas so they have a positive impact on people’s lives.
Best quote from Great Work
Good is the foundation of great.
—David Sturt
Who should read Great Work?
- Anyone who is tired of doing work that’s just “good enough”
- Anyone who wants to make a difference in the world
- Anyone who has a great idea that they want to put into practice
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