Be Happy in Your Work?

Below is a letter I submitted to the Wall Street Journal.

I am writing to comment on the article "Happy for the Work" written by Professor Arthur C. Brooks and appearing in the June 20th, 2007 issue of the Wall Street Journal. The article can also be seen at the American Enterprise Institute's website at http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.26371,filter.all/pub_detail.asp.

I read with great interest Professor Brooks' article. The article reminded me of something attributed to Winston Churchill. He is reportedly said of Sir Joseph Chamberlain (father of future prime minister Neville Chamberlain) "Joe loved the working man, he loved to see him work". That is precisely the attitude I sensed in Professor Brook's writing.

The key fact that Professor Brooks' misses is that while a majority of people would continue to work even if they did not have to, the nature of that work would be radically different and probably more fulfilling. People, when given the flexibility of financial resources, can and do find greater meaning and satisfaction in their work because they have the ability to craft and shape the nature of work as well as the times and places it is done. Professor Brooks totally missed that point.

Professor Brooks would be well served by taking a deeper look at worker satisfaction under what circumstances people are truly fulfilled. I submit that the more people can be truly fulfilled at work the more the will be willing to produce for their respective companies. I am unsure that Professor Brooks has little meaningful contacts with workers, in his nice, ivory tower at Syracuse University nor would his masters at the American Enterprise Institute encourage such contact.