What is Good Work?
An Introduction to the Concept
A good journalist is someone who:
- tasks thoughtful questions, expresses opinions clearly
- is an anchor woman on television
- becomes managing editor of a well-established and well-respected newspaper
- writes a front page story for The New York Times
- wins a Pulitzer Prize
- interviews grieving parents of a missing child to confirm details of story
- submits a story to an editor on deadline, but doesn’t check facts or details due to time crunch
- disguises her identity as a journalist in order to collect evidence for a story
- reports a story about the private life of a public figure even though it may affect the public figure’s chance of receiving a fair trial
A good actor is someone who:
- is famous and well-known
- plays a leading role in a big hit movie
- works as a waitress in addition to auditioning for shows on Broadway
- gets a role in a promising new movie without having any formal theater training
- doesn’t have a paid acting job, only acts in shows sponsored by local community theaters
- wins an Academy Award or an Oscar
- decides to study the technique of acting rather than audition for roles
- makes money for participation in a television advertisement
- makes money for participation in a television advertisement for cigarettes
A good business person is someone who:
- makes a lot of money
- employs a lot of people
- employs a lot of people who might otherwise be unemployed
- manages an internationally recognized Fortune 500 company
- changes some disappointing numbers on a company’s financial reports in order to gain more investors to keep the business afloat
- has strong negotiation skills and gets “everything she wants”
- donates a portion of the company’s net worth to a homeless shelter
- knows how to network with others in order to make important connections with people who will promote the company to the company’s detriment, doesn’t fire someone because she doesn’t want this person to be out of a job
Discussion Questions
What makes a good professional? What are some of the qualities? Some of the factors?
What are some of the challenges to doing good work?