Why I Wrote "Making Work Matter"

I am thrilled to announce that my book, Making Work Matter: How to Create Positive Change in Your Company and Meaning in Your Career, has been released today and is now available in paperback and ebook versions on online retail sites, including Amazon, Bookshop.org, and Barnes and Noble.

There are many reasons why I wanted to write this book. First of all, I was driven by my own professional journey.?

Before joining the Aspen Institute and starting a Fellowship program for social innovators in business, I was a corporate banker for nearly two decades.?I managed complex relationships for multinational companies, did a stint in the shipping division in London in the 1980s where I learned how hard it is to get your money back from companies in default, saw the emergence of leveraged buyouts and securitizations.?I had lots of valuable training about financial instruments, risk management, and the structure of the financial system. However, not once over those years do I remember any conversations about why we did the work we did, why it mattered to society.

I began to long for more meaning in my work and to create more positive impact in the world. But I had no idea how to get started to build a more purposeful career and become a corporate changemaker—or if it was even possible to work in that way.

As I wrote this book, I strove to craft the kind of guide to creating positive change within business that I wish I had had when I was a banker.?

I believe there are many people today who also want more from their work than a paycheck. They aspire to use their skills and the platform of business to tackle some of society’s toughest challenges—from climate change to economic inequality to building more inclusive cultures at work. But, like me years ago, they find that they don’t know how to begin or how to sustain this effort. My book is intended for these individuals who are eager to innovate so that their?companies can become better social and environmental stewards—in ways big and small, both locally and globally.

Making Work Matter offers social intrapreneurs (AKA internal changemakers within companies) stories to inspire them to take action and proven insights?and practical tools that will help them create pathways for change.?

It is not a theoretical book. All the advice in the book is based on lessons learned from the Aspen First Movers Fellowship Program which I founded 15 years ago.?Through this program I have been privileged to mentor hundreds of purposeful and determined intrapreneurs who work in large, multinational companies in a variety of industries. These intrapreneurs have diverse corporate roles—from finance to marketing to sustainability and beyond. Some are just launching their careers in business; others are seasoned managers and executives.?

In the book, I feature stories from many of our First Mover Fellows that demonstrate that it is possible to envision and drive change even in large companies that might seem the most resistant to change. I introduce changemakers like Paul Dillinger at Levi Strauss & Co. who is using his design expertise to create a line of sustainably produced clothing; Hao Dinh, now at Enpro, who is determined to keep people at the center of the digital transformations; and Abbey Carlton at Indeed who is helping job seekers who face barriers (such as lack of college degree, age or racial bias, disabilities) find and keep good jobs.?

I also offer practical tips for how to drive change. Some are surprising and may run counter to traditional change management strategies. Here are five of the many ideas for action included in the book:

• Look for “white space” in your organization where there are opportunities that others may not see to address a social or environmental challenge. For example, you might imagine new products or services that are eco-friendly or designed to meet the needs of an underserved consumer group.? Or you might envision a management innovation that could lead to more inclusive decision making within your company.?
• Shift from a problem-solving orientation to a problem reframing mindset. The book offers multiple reframing strategies. For starters, I advise seeing other people’s perspectives on the problem you are trying to solve - especially those stakeholders who will be directly impacted by whatever solution is proposed. You’ll be surprised by how your view on the problem (and possible solutions) will shift with this input.?
• Build time for reflection into your daily routines. Taking time to discover your personal purpose and how your thoughts and actions align with that purpose will strengthen your ability to lead change confidently and stay on track when impediments arise. Reflection serves as the fuel for your changemaking journey. My book offers suggestions for jumpstarting your own reflection practice.?

• Aim for a small, strategic win to build momentum for bigger change. Seeking a small win can shift your perspective. Small wins require relatively modest effort, expense,?and risk; but they can demonstrate that change is possible. Learning how to craft pilot projects and learn from success or failure can be a critical skill for an intrapreneur.??

• Prize collaboration above advocacy. The problems intrapreneurs are trying to solve require collective action, and convincing people to change is much less effective than bringing them in to define a problem and help find ways to address it. To do so, you must embrace curiosity and the importance of asking questions rather than aiming to have all the answers, as many of the stories?that I share in this book demonstrate.?

At the heart of my work at the Aspen Institute and this book is the belief that business has enormous potential to create economic value and positive impact on society and the planet. But we need more innovative employees, who see opportunities for their?companies to change, to help unleash this potential.?

I hope this book will ignite the ambition of many to join the ranks of social intrapreneurs and provide guidance and inspiration for those who choose to venture out on their own changemaking journey.?