L
Catalyst | Last Word
The Joy of Work:
30 Ways to Fix Your Work Culture
and Fall in Love with Your Job Again
Bruce Daisley, Random House Business, 2019
W
e all know the statistics
around poor employee
engagement, and many
of us feel the effects of it in our
workplaces too. So what’s not to like
about a book that offers some quick
fixes to help people ‘fall in love’ with
their work again? It’s not that simple,
of course, but Bruce Daisley’s book
still does an impressive job, offering
an entertaining and accessible
account of why and how work
should – and can - be a positive part
of people’s lives.
Daisley’s story starts with his
Eat Sleep Work Repeat podcast
(also recommended), where he
encountered the people and science
he first distilled into his simple New
Work Manifesto, an eight-point plan
that plants a flag for cornerstones of
good workplace cultures like trust,
autonomy and accountability.
The Joy of Work builds on this with
30 ‘hacks’ to help workers to recharge
their energy, connect better with
colleagues and create the buzz we’d all
like more of. Interestingly, one of his
key themes is personal responsibility.
It’s not just down to the bosses to
make things better; everyone can play
a part at an individual and team level.
Daisley’s stated aim is to marshal the
research about what makes work
more fulfilling and to help it reach
the “people doing everyday jobs”.
A noble calling, and a job well done.
Range:
How Generalists Triumph in a
Specialised World
David Epstein, Macmillan, 2019
M
alcolm Gladwell doesn’t
shy away from endorsing
a book which appears to
contradict his thesis that exceptional
expertise requires at least 10,000
hours of practice. “David Epstein
manages to make me thoroughly
enjoy the experience of being told
that everything I thought about
something was wrong,” he writes.
We may never fully understand
what makes people successful, but
Range is an important contribution to
the debate. Rather than specialising
deeply and early, Epstein calls for a
re-appraisal. His research into the
world’s top performers, from athletes
to Nobel laureates, suggests that early
specialisation is the exception, not
the rule. Generalists often take time
to find their calling, trying out a range
of interests along the way, learning
from failure and acquiring knowledge
across disciplines. That experience
tends to make them more creative,
agile and able to make connections
that the specialists just don’t see.
It’s an intriguing argument,
eloquently presented. Gladwell has
previously defended his 10,000 hours
argument by placing himself on a
continuum with pure natural talent
at one end and deliberate practice
at the other.
Unsurprisingly, much depends on
context: even Epstein admits that his
generalists do best in fields that are
“more complex and unpredictable”,
perhaps leaving the door open for a
Gladwellian appreciation of how, in
some cases, practice can still make
perfect for even the most naturally
talented generalist.
Issue 3 - 2019
67