The Spirit of Workmanship

Work is the one thing almost everyone has to do in life. Not to engage in some sort of work is to be labelled unemployed, idle or unproductive. Economists track the level of unemployment as a measure of a nation's economic well-being. So governments need to have policies in place to tackle this social and political problem. A key issue though, is whether we have the right concept of this universally important word "Work". In this book, Akin, in his characteristic thought provoking style, shares principles that will help every individual develop a concept of work and increase their productivity. Akin focuses on the paradigms individuals need to embrace to be productive at work. He says, "The dimension of possibilities open to the creator of a product is not determined by the raw materials available but by the knowledge in the mind of the creator." Have you ever had an idea you did not work on because of one obstacle or another that you could not overcome in your mind and then, in a meeting, someone else brings up the same idea which is accepted by all and you want to scream, "That was my idea!" Well, next time work the idea.