Okay, before I do my business philosophy ramble (it will be entertaining) I want to report that I successfully did my job today. I led a meeting where I walked a project team through a quality strategy document. We had a very good discussion about general scope, risks and dependencies of the testing and some people were suprised at the size and possible complexity of the project. People are very intent on doing a good job and everyone contributes. Yes, they push their group's view of the process but they are very cooperative and enjoy working together. I was very happy after that meeting.

At that point I still had two hours until the huge Holiday party so I went up to the library to unwind. I was browsing around the display of new "business" books when I saw one that might be interesting and picked it up. It's full of short essays about good things to do in a business and I found things that really sounded right to me. Tonight I want to write about one of these essays.

It's called "Finding and Keeping the Best Talent in the World" by Richard Leider. His contention is that talented people want "purpose driven" workplaces. How do you build a purpose driven workplace? You answer the following four employee questions over and over.

1. Where are we going?
2. What are we doing to get there?
3. What do you want me to do?
4. What's in it for me when I do?

Good pay is essential, he says, but there needs to be more than that. If a company can't answer those four questions, the talented people, looking for "purposeful, challenging work" and the chance "to express and develop their strongest talents" will quit.

I was going to write about appreciation today and thought a lot about what I really liked from my management. Is it the thank yous and occasional bonuses that make a difference to me? Nope, what I really want is those four questions answered because then I know what we're doing and what my part of the effort is and how the company will show their appreciation. If someone answers those questions for me they're showing me that they respect and appreciate me and they need me to be part of the effort.

The next essay discussed driving fear from the workplace. I think fear comes when there is no openness or trust and definitely no shared purpose. Widgets has some people who use fear as a management tool and high levels of sarcasm and burn out are the direct result. Oh yeah, and me quitting.

My current manager talks to me about those four questions. The conversations at our weekly one-on-ones often are rambling but he likes everything out in the open as I do. The only fears I have at work are the normal fear that I'll screw up but I'm pretty good at working through that feeling. It's great to just do your job as best you can and know that you'll definitely get something out of it if you do good. That's good enough for me right now.