Since its original printing in 1984, The Game of Work helped thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of managers and employees experience increased job enjoyment while producing extraordinary results. The Game of Work examines the question of why people work harder at sports and recreation than they do on the job and uses these as metaphors for inspirational leadership strategies. Corporations worldwide have enjoyed the increased productivity, employee satisfaction and motivation, and bottom-line profits by implementing the concepts taught in The Game of Work. As qualified people become increasingly difficult to attract and retain, the implementation of the five principles in this book is the one key factor to improving results, retention, and recruitment.
Game of Work, The: How to Enjoy Work as Much as Play
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Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From the Inside Flap
CHARLES A. COONRADT with Lee Nelson
On a hot summer day when the air conditioning goes off, employees start tugging at their collars and complaining that it's too hot to work. But after work in the parking lot, where it is twenty degrees hotter, they will look at each other say, "Well, what do you think, golf or tennis?" Why will people, in recreation, pay for the privilege of working harder than they will work when they are paid?
In The Game of Work, Charles A. Coonradt, president of The Game of Work, LLC, explains what makes people so dedicated to recreational pursuits, and shows how to use that same motivation to win at business. Using the principles outlined in this book, a major consumer beverage manufacturer reduced costs by 25 cents per case resulting in an annual $30 million savings, a large grocery distribution company reduced their losses from warehouse and truck damage by over $10 million, a communications firm increased profits from $1.7 million to $3.4 million in one year, a multi-store retail chain improved corporate valuation by over 500% prior to being acquired, a manufacturing firm reduced waste metal costs $30,000 a year, an advertising executive increased his sales volume 55 percent in 90 days and a warehouse/distribution operation reduced accidents by 38% saving over $500,000 in one year.
Every person, business, or organization can achieve better results with these proven principles. Company presidents, managers, supervisors, sales personnel, and human resource directors will find ideas for achieving not only personal success but also success for the entire business team.
The Game of Work has been described as "the most original and useful tool for business to come along since Megatrends and In Search of Excellence." It gives fresh, proven management techniques that will help men and women in business become winners. The Game of Work, LLC Park City, Utah
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of The Game of Work, LLC, a corporation founded in 1973 and dedicated to building the success of its individual and corporate clients. Graduate of Michigan State University. Internationally recognized in the fields of goal setting and profit improvement, as an author, consultant, and speaker. Chuck's books The Game of Work, Managing The Obvious, Scorekeeping for Success, and The Four Laws of Debt Free Prosperity have been labeled management "must reads." He is a contributing author to the best selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series, as well as a founding member and frequent lecturer at the School of Entrepreneurship, Brigham Young University, Marriott School of Management.
The Game of Work's client list includes many Fortune 500, as well as other nationally and internationally recognized firms. Companies that have successfully utilized and implemented these unique concepts include Coca-Cola Consolidated, The Chicago Tribune, Pepsi Cola, Coors, Marker Bindings, Wendy's, Browning Ferris Industries, US Air Force, US Postal Service, Molina Medical, and Boeing. Over one million executives, managers, and supervisors on five continents have been exposed to Chuck's ideas on feedback, scorekeeping, goal setting, coaching, choice and accountability. He, his wife Carla, and his family live in Park City, Utah. Lee Nelson, after receiving his MBA degree from Brigham Young University, worked in corporate public relations at Ford Motor Company. After leaving the automobile industry he focused his career on writing and publishing. He has published hundreds of articles and 31 books. Lee was chosen by the Mark Twain Foundation to complete a story Mark Twain started in 1885 titled Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the Indians.
On a hot summer day when the air conditioning goes off, employees start tugging at their collars and complaining that it's too hot to work. But after work in the parking lot, where it is twenty degrees hotter, they will look at each other say, "Well, what do you think, golf or tennis?" Why will people, in recreation, pay for the privilege of working harder than they will work when they are paid?
In The Game of Work, Charles A. Coonradt, president of The Game of Work, LLC, explains what makes people so dedicated to recreational pursuits, and shows how to use that same motivation to win at business. Using the principles outlined in this book, a major consumer beverage manufacturer reduced costs by 25 cents per case resulting in an annual $30 million savings, a large grocery distribution company reduced their losses from warehouse and truck damage by over $10 million, a communications firm increased profits from $1.7 million to $3.4 million in one year, a multi-store retail chain improved corporate valuation by over 500% prior to being acquired, a manufacturing firm reduced waste metal costs $30,000 a year, an advertising executive increased his sales volume 55 percent in 90 days and a warehouse/distribution operation reduced accidents by 38% saving over $500,000 in one year.
Every person, business, or organization can achieve better results with these proven principles. Company presidents, managers, supervisors, sales personnel, and human resource directors will find ideas for achieving not only personal success but also success for the entire business team.
The Game of Work has been described as "the most original and useful tool for business to come along since Megatrends and In Search of Excellence." It gives fresh, proven management techniques that will help men and women in business become winners. The Game of Work, LLC Park City, Utah
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of The Game of Work, LLC, a corporation founded in 1973 and dedicated to building the success of its individual and corporate clients. Graduate of Michigan State University. Internationally recognized in the fields of goal setting and profit improvement, as an author, consultant, and speaker. Chuck's books The Game of Work, Managing The Obvious, Scorekeeping for Success, and The Four Laws of Debt Free Prosperity have been labeled management "must reads." He is a contributing author to the best selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series, as well as a founding member and frequent lecturer at the School of Entrepreneurship, Brigham Young University, Marriott School of Management.
The Game of Work's client list includes many Fortune 500, as well as other nationally and internationally recognized firms. Companies that have successfully utilized and implemented these unique concepts include Coca-Cola Consolidated, The Chicago Tribune, Pepsi Cola, Coors, Marker Bindings, Wendy's, Browning Ferris Industries, US Air Force, US Postal Service, Molina Medical, and Boeing. Over one million executives, managers, and supervisors on five continents have been exposed to Chuck's ideas on feedback, scorekeeping, goal setting, coaching, choice and accountability. He, his wife Carla, and his family live in Park City, Utah. Lee Nelson, after receiving his MBA degree from Brigham Young University, worked in corporate public relations at Ford Motor Company. After leaving the automobile industry he focused his career on writing and publishing. He has published hundreds of articles and 31 books. Lee was chosen by the Mark Twain Foundation to complete a story Mark Twain started in 1885 titled Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Among the Indians.
From the Back Cover
How to Be a Winner at Work!
Using the principles outlined in this book, a major consumer beverage manufacturer reduced costs by 25 cents per case resulting in an annual $30 million savings, a large grocery distribution company reduced their losses from warehouse and truck damage by over $10 million, a communications firm increased profits from $1.7 million to$3.4 million in one year, a multi-store retail chain improved corporate valuation by over 500% prior to being acquired, a manufacturing firm reduced waste metal costs $30,000 a year, an advertising executive increased his sales volume 55 percent in 90 days and a warehouse/distribution operation reduced accidents by 38% saving over $500,000 in one year.
How were these people able to produce such dramatic results? They learned what they needed to do toenjoy their work as much as they enjoyed play. In The Game of Work, Charles A. Coonradt, president of The Game of Work, LLC, explains how to win at work and enjoy it by clearly defining goals, keeping score, using frequent feedback, allowing freedom of choice, and setting consistent rules.
"The book is fantastic! It will make a great addition to my library." Michael D. Eisner Chairman Walt Disney Productions
"A powerful resource that is simple to read and understand. We plan to use the book as a supplement to many of the human resource programs we now have in place, and particularly as a tool for improving the goal setting, action, and review processes of our management team. Your book is by far the best source I have reviewed. Enclosed is a check for fifty copies of The Game of Work." Manager of Human Resources Ardmore, Oklahoma
"There's good stuff in there. The point the book makes is a good one." Earl Nightingale
"At last a void has been filled in current professional reading. The Game of Work provided me with a way to enjoy In Search of Excellence while striving to be a One Minute Manager." R. E. Mathis, Eastern Regional Sales Manager General Foods Corporation
Using the principles outlined in this book, a major consumer beverage manufacturer reduced costs by 25 cents per case resulting in an annual $30 million savings, a large grocery distribution company reduced their losses from warehouse and truck damage by over $10 million, a communications firm increased profits from $1.7 million to$3.4 million in one year, a multi-store retail chain improved corporate valuation by over 500% prior to being acquired, a manufacturing firm reduced waste metal costs $30,000 a year, an advertising executive increased his sales volume 55 percent in 90 days and a warehouse/distribution operation reduced accidents by 38% saving over $500,000 in one year.
How were these people able to produce such dramatic results? They learned what they needed to do toenjoy their work as much as they enjoyed play. In The Game of Work, Charles A. Coonradt, president of The Game of Work, LLC, explains how to win at work and enjoy it by clearly defining goals, keeping score, using frequent feedback, allowing freedom of choice, and setting consistent rules.
"The book is fantastic! It will make a great addition to my library." Michael D. Eisner Chairman Walt Disney Productions
"A powerful resource that is simple to read and understand. We plan to use the book as a supplement to many of the human resource programs we now have in place, and particularly as a tool for improving the goal setting, action, and review processes of our management team. Your book is by far the best source I have reviewed. Enclosed is a check for fifty copies of The Game of Work." Manager of Human Resources Ardmore, Oklahoma
"There's good stuff in there. The point the book makes is a good one." Earl Nightingale
"At last a void has been filled in current professional reading. The Game of Work provided me with a way to enjoy In Search of Excellence while striving to be a One Minute Manager." R. E. Mathis, Eastern Regional Sales Manager General Foods Corporation
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By H. Reid
Format:Hardcover
Mr Coonradt's premise is that people are motivated to work well when they can keep score against very straightforwardly measurable goals. To bolster this argument, Conraadt points to what people do in their leisure time, claiming that people like and are motivated to do their leisure activities more than their work because score keeping and measurement in these leisure activities is very simple. He also claims that people who don't concentrate on their scores -- and in particular how they measure up against other people -- are "losers".
One clear problem with this argument is that the book totally and absolutely ignores the fact that many people the world over spend their precious leisure time engaged in activities where "scoring" and objective measurement doesn't even enter into the equation. think of artistic endeavors -- surely a very important area of human activity! In many aspects of arts (most?) scoring and measurement don't have a place at all -- is Van Gogh measurably better than Cezanne? Indeed, that very kind of thinking is anathema to artistic creation. Or think of the hobbies of reading, playing music, listening to music, watching plays, watching dance, painting, photography, etc. etc. etc. Why do people engage in these activities with such dedication when there is no measuring or scoring of any sort going on? Even if you grant the author his sports-myopic-vision, there are many sporting activities where scoring isn't important to the majority of participants, or isn't present at all -- fishing, sailing, kayaking, horseback riding, hiking, etc etc etc. Granted some people do these "non-scoring" sports in scoring settings.... but I would argue the vast majority of participants do not. There are far more recreational trail riders than there are grand prix show jumpers or racing jockeys: there are far more people who just "putter" in their boats than people who race competitively.
So, really the author's argument largely applyies only if you limit your thinking to a subset of sporting activity (itself a subset of what he should in fact be looking at and examining) and ignore the characteristics of a broad swath of the activities that humans in fact find deeply satisfying. He's focused on a very, very limited slice of life and basically writes-off people who are motivated by things other than simple scores.
Meanwhile, many companies provide their employees with very clear score-keeping parameters and the jobs involved are miserable (I've had experience of that myself in spades!!). Bottom line: when I applied this book's arguments to myself and what I have seen in my 20 year career -- what I find rewarding, what jobs I've found most satisfying, the environments and practices that make people thrive -- the arguments just didn't ring true to me. It certainly would be very comforting to think that constructing a rewarding, highly productive and humane work environment could be this simple -- that there's a magic bullet like this -- but I think how humans approach jobs and how we respond to work environments are just like everything else in human life -- complex and, at times, bewildering. And it also seems to me that American business in these times needs more of the kind of complex, nuanced analysis and judgment that belong in the sphere of the arts rather than the simple score-keeping of football or baseball. There are many good business books out there that acknowledge that and give better advice on how to navigate this area.
One clear problem with this argument is that the book totally and absolutely ignores the fact that many people the world over spend their precious leisure time engaged in activities where "scoring" and objective measurement doesn't even enter into the equation. think of artistic endeavors -- surely a very important area of human activity! In many aspects of arts (most?) scoring and measurement don't have a place at all -- is Van Gogh measurably better than Cezanne? Indeed, that very kind of thinking is anathema to artistic creation. Or think of the hobbies of reading, playing music, listening to music, watching plays, watching dance, painting, photography, etc. etc. etc. Why do people engage in these activities with such dedication when there is no measuring or scoring of any sort going on? Even if you grant the author his sports-myopic-vision, there are many sporting activities where scoring isn't important to the majority of participants, or isn't present at all -- fishing, sailing, kayaking, horseback riding, hiking, etc etc etc. Granted some people do these "non-scoring" sports in scoring settings.... but I would argue the vast majority of participants do not. There are far more recreational trail riders than there are grand prix show jumpers or racing jockeys: there are far more people who just "putter" in their boats than people who race competitively.
So, really the author's argument largely applyies only if you limit your thinking to a subset of sporting activity (itself a subset of what he should in fact be looking at and examining) and ignore the characteristics of a broad swath of the activities that humans in fact find deeply satisfying. He's focused on a very, very limited slice of life and basically writes-off people who are motivated by things other than simple scores.
Meanwhile, many companies provide their employees with very clear score-keeping parameters and the jobs involved are miserable (I've had experience of that myself in spades!!). Bottom line: when I applied this book's arguments to myself and what I have seen in my 20 year career -- what I find rewarding, what jobs I've found most satisfying, the environments and practices that make people thrive -- the arguments just didn't ring true to me. It certainly would be very comforting to think that constructing a rewarding, highly productive and humane work environment could be this simple -- that there's a magic bullet like this -- but I think how humans approach jobs and how we respond to work environments are just like everything else in human life -- complex and, at times, bewildering. And it also seems to me that American business in these times needs more of the kind of complex, nuanced analysis and judgment that belong in the sphere of the arts rather than the simple score-keeping of football or baseball. There are many good business books out there that acknowledge that and give better advice on how to navigate this area.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Mr Black
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book really helped me to create the framework a training program for my new employees and teammates. Also provided me with another way to think about how I manage people. I enjoyed the opportunity review fresh ways think about how and why people are motivated. Strongly recommend the book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Becky Cole
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I got this book for inspiration on how to win at the game of work. It has a lot of great ideas, now to just get everyone else on board.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Right Wing Nonsense
If you enjoy hearing far right wing republican screed this is the book for you.
A stone hearted writer who pushes a right wing line the book suffers from an author more... Read more
A stone hearted writer who pushes a right wing line the book suffers from an author more... Read more
Published 17 months ago by J. Branchi
4.0 out of 5 stars
Do employees really know how to score themselves?
Some say the premise of the book is that people will pay to play harder than they work when they are paid. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mark Horton
5.0 out of 5 stars
making work meaningful and fun
I have used the concepts and measurements in this book to increase my on the job performance they have helped me get promotions and increases in pay. Read more
Published on September 18, 2009 by Triton L. Willis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Right on
This book was exceptional, I think it hit everything right on. I really enjoyed this book, Mr. Coonradt is brilliant, he covered everything in detail and it made sense, he offers... Read more
Published on April 17, 2009 by W. Richards
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