#better_place

I have a dream. Make the World a Better Place!

As a young nerd, I used to think that my dream would manifest itself in the form of a sleek new algorithm or electronic gadget.  In my evolution from young nerd ... to adult nerd ... to nerd husband ... to nerd father, I've come to realize that my dream has taken on a different shape that I never saw coming, and that is evangelizing social business architecture.

It's a bit of an unconventional statement to say you are going to make the world a better place by talking about work, but here is my take.  Work is a necessary evil for most people, but if you like what you do, it transforms your job into an extension of your life.  As Confucius said:

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

Liking a job has many forms and is valued differently from person to person.  Some of these forms include:

- Physical:  Enjoying the actual activity being performed

- Mental:  Exposure to interesting and challenging problems/environments

- Emotional: Feeling of fulfillment or satisfaction 

Any one, or combination, of these factors can change the outlook/perception a person has on their day-to-day job.  The more you can reinforce these elements daily, the more you will not only improve employee satisfaction, but also their productivity.   Since 2006, Fortune has conducted an annual survey to determine the 100 Best Companies to Work For, and the recurring names on these lists suggest that there's something to this theory.  But the fruits of these efforts do not stop at productivity, because individually there is still more to realize ... and that is time.  Time to think.  Time to innovate.  Time to breathe.   By adding time to everyone's day it helps slow the rapid pace of life, and enable people to take better control over it.  I propose that people who enjoy their work, and are empowered to take control of life, tend to be happier overall.  As a result, it improves opportunities for society to raise the bar on civility and kindness outside of the workplace, thus making the world a better place!

Challenge:  So how do we make work better for everyone?