Book Review: Meaningful Work by Shawn Askinosie

Estimated Reading Time 3 Minutes

There is only 1 daily feed that I follow each and every day without fail and that is the blog of Seth Godin.  He’s an amazing thought leader and I would suggest you check him out.  Recently he mentioned Shawn Askinosie’s book Meaningful Work: A Quest to do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul.  How could I resist a title and recommendation like that?  After all, a foundational belief I have is in the importance of life-long learning for anyone who is worthy of the title of manager.  I’m also big on finding meaning in your work as a launch pad for a great career and an even greater life.

Change Your Perspective

While the author changed jobs to find meaning, the book isn’t about that.  In fact, I saw more of an opportunity to change your perspective in your current job as a way to find meaning.  I love his advice that you ponder where the intersection is between your strengths, your passions, and what the world needs.  I’d suggest you change the word “world” to “company” and do this as a transformational exercise.  Where do your strengths, passions, and what your company needs intersect?  You might find that you are right where you need to be.  If not, this question may lead to the pursuit of an opportunity that could be beneficial for you and your company.

Finding Balance

If you are reading this post, likely you are someone who manages people for a living.  One of the challenges of this occupation is finding balance.  Balance between relationships and results.  Balance between discipline and trust.  Balance between what’s right and what works.  The intensity of effort required to find these “sweet spots” can leave you drained and sometimes empty.  The author addresses in an inspiring and meaningful way, how to find balance as a manager or business owner.

Trappist Monks, Open-Book Accounting, Chocolate, and Rules of Life

One of the things that I enjoyed about this book was the exposure to a variety of concepts that are all worth knowing about.  I will admit I had no idea what a Trappist Monk was.

I did previously read a book about open book accounting as a way to engage the employees of a company and create meaning for them in their individual roles, and the author’s explanation here is worth some consideration.

I’m a fan of chocolate.  I learned a lot about chocolate in this book and the supply chain all the way to the source or origin.  You will probably end up ordering some Askinosie Chocolate bars before you finish reading the book.

The idea of creating a set of rules for life was fascinating and it challenged me.  Being mindful and intentional about how we live our lives leads to good performance as a person and a manager.

Transformational Exercises

I typically end most of my posts with an exercise for you to perform to help you engage or implement the ideas of the particular topic covered.  One of the best parts of this book is the exercises at the end of each chapter.  I’m sure you will find a few that can help you in your pursuit of success as a manager.  Add this book to your library!