RESEARCH ANALYZING 1.7 MILLION CASES OF AWARD-WINNING WORK ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES, POSITIONS, AND PAY-GRADES, PROVES GREAT WORK IS A PRODUCT OF 5 ACTIVITIES PEOPLE DO, AND 1 COMMON INTENTION.

1. 5 THINGS
GREAT WORKERS DO…AND 1 INTENTION

2. CASES OF AWARD-WINNING WORK ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES,
POSITIONS, AND PAY-GRADES, PROVES GREAT WORK IS A PRODUCT
OF 5 ACTIVITIES PEOPLE DO, AND 1 COMMON INTENTION.
RESEARCH ANALYZING
1.7 MILLION

3. Groundbreaking
results? Yes…
it was intentional.
The study proved that Great Work
isn’t an accident. In fact, all cases of
award-winning work began with a
single-shared intention: To create a
difference people love.
Great Workers focus more on
the recipient of their work, than
on the work itself.
5 ACTIVITIES : 1 INTENTION

4. Who are Great Workers?
Great Work is less an outcome of traits
(who people are), but more an outcome
of 5 simple activities (what people do).
Great Workers don’t categorically
share similar traits. They:
• aren’t always the most engaged
• don’t have a certain personality style
• don’t share a particular set of competencies
• aren’t necessarily the most experienced
• don’t even work harder or longer

5. What do Great Workers do?
Research proves Great Workers practice 5 activities
that drive unexpectedly higher results, with the
intention of creating a difference people love.

6. Activity 1.
Ask curious and
provoking questions.
Instead of adopting prevailing
assumptions about how work should be
done, Great Workers pause and ask
provoking questions that open up new
thinking. Common questions of Great
Workers are: “why does this take so
long,” “why can’t we,” “what if we could.”
Great questions inspire great ideas.88% of great work projects began with
an employee asking “What difference
would people love?”
88% of great work projects began with
an employee asking “What difference
would people love?”
PUSH PAUSE · ASK QUESTIONSPUSH PAUSE · ASK QUESTIONS

7. Activity 2.
Great Workers are
compelled to go…
Great Workers are compelled to go
and see things for themselves and
understand what’s working, and what’s
not working. They go to where their
work makes an impact. Seeing how
things work engages our minds in a
different way.
Employees who saw for themselves
were 17X more likely to become
passionate about their work.
Employees who saw for themselves
were 17X more likely to become
passionate about their work.

8. Activity 3.
Have engaging
conversations.
Great Workers talk to people outside their
“inner circle” of friends and colleagues.
They thrive on conversations inspired by
diverse perspectives and ideas. When
you listen to their conversations, they
don’t sound like informational
transactions. They sound more like
explorations for disrupting their own
perspectives and limited thinking.
72%
of great work projects
involve people talking
to their outer circle

9. Activity 4.
Improve something.
Great Workers have a knack for
improvement. That knack is not a
personality trait, it comes from
something they do when they approach
any project. They don’t see things as
fixed or immoveable. Instead, they tinker.
They test. Their confidence comes from
the ongoing practice of building,
shaping, trimming and fine-tuning.
Work is 3X more likely to be
called important when someone
has added or removed an
element or two.
Work is 3X more likely to be
called important when someone
has added or removed an
element or two.

10. Activity 5.
Chase the change.
Great Workers stick with their work
and grit it out until they witness the
connection between their actions
and results. They measure the difference
made, fine-tune, and analyze what it is
that people really love.
90% of great work projects include
employees who remain involved
through implementation.

11. GREAT WORK:
IT’S 5 SIMPLE ACTIVITIES AND THE INTENTION
TO CREATE A DIFFERENCE PEOPLE LOVE.
…and it’s proven by one of the biggest workplace studies ever conducted.

12. FROM THE
O.C. TANNER INSTITUTE
octanner.com/great-work
Want to know more?
Download the full study here.
Discover the New York Times Bestseller
Great Work: How to create an difference people love.

13. O.C. TANNER AND THE O.C. TANNER INSTITUTE
O. C. Tanner helps the world inspire and appreciate great work.
Through our innovative cloud-based software, tools, awards,
education, and research, we provide thought leadership and strategic
recognition solutions for thousands of clients globally. Designed to
engage talent, increase performance, and drive corporate goals, our
solutions create personalized recognition experiences delivered
through a smart technology platform.
The O.C. Tanner Institute regularly commissions research and provides
a global forum for exchanging ideas about recognition, engagement,
leadership, culture, human values, and sound business principles.