Jody Thompson, Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It

Jody Thompson is one half of a dynamic duo with her partner Cali Ressler. They are trying to change the way work is done in organizations. They are behind the concept of ROWE – Results Only Work Environment – something they first introduced as internal consultants at Best Buy and which they’re now taking out to the world. You get a sense of their style and approach by the title of their book – Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It. The connection with Great Work is pretty clear – and in this conversation, Jody and I discuss:

• How their first attempt to introduce ROWE almost got them fired
• How “being mediocre” proved to be a powerful strategy (at least for a while)
• Why measuring how much time you spend working is a useless metric, and how busy-ness can end up being a death spiral
• Sludge – what it is, and why it needs to be shifted

Listen to my interview with Jody Thompson

0:16 Michael introduces Jody Thompson

1:11 Jody’s book Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It

3:04 How their first attempt to introduce ROWE almost got them fired

5:00 How “being mediocre” proved to be a powerful strategy (at least for a while)

7:53 Why measuring how much time you spend working is a useless metric, and how busy-ness can end up being a death spiral

12:50 Sludge – what it is, and why it needs to be shifted

21:10 Practical tips to do more Great Work

22:48 How to find out more about Jody Thompson

23:27 Michael closes the interview

If you enjoyed this post, you'll also like:

1. Roger von Oech, Creativity
2. The “life sucks” model
3. James Huffines, Overcoming Resistance to Change
4. Traci Fenton, WorldBlu
5. Russell Bishop, Workarounds That Work