Great Work: How to Make a Difference People Love by David Sturt Summary

1. Build on existing good work instead of reinventing the wheel for breakthroughs.
2. Ask disruptive questions that challenge assumptions to uncover hidden customer needs.
3. Observe customer experiences firsthand to gain actionable insights for innovative solutions.
4. Consult diverse external perspectives beyond your team to ignite creative thinking.
5. Refine existing processes through small daily tweaks that compound into major impact.
6. Judge success by how much your work delights recipients rather than meeting specs.
7. Transform setbacks into growth fuel with continuous improvement and adaptive persistence.
8. Combine unexpected ideas into novel solutions that create measurable human impact.
9. Use constraints as creative springboards for developing groundbreaking practical innovations.
10. Add unexpected value through job crafting that exceeds basic role requirements.
11. Prioritize making differences people love over simply checking task completion boxes.
12. Master Sturt's five-skilled framework to turn routine work into extraordinary contributions.

About the Author of Great Work

David Sturt, New York Times bestselling author of Great Work: How to Make a Difference People Love, is a globally recognized expert in workplace culture, innovation, and employee recognition. A British-born executive vice president at O.C. Tanner—a $500 million global leader in recognition solutions—Sturt draws on decades of research and advisory work with Fortune 1000 companies to explore themes of meaningful contribution and leadership excellence.

His insights, featured in Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, and NPR, stem from co-authoring O.C. Tanner’s foundational studies on workplace motivation. Sturt expands on these ideas in his follow-up book Appreciate: Celebrate People, Inspire Results, which further examines the intersection of recognition and organizational success.

A frequent TEDx speaker and Forbes.com columnist, he combines MBA-trained analysis with practical strategies honed through advising top-tier corporations. Born in England and raised in South Africa, Sturt brings a multicultural perspective to his work, underscored by his current role as an LDS stake president in Salt Lake City. Great Work has been translated into multiple languages and remains a staple in leadership development programs worldwide.

FAQs About Great Work

What is Great Work: How to Make a Difference People Love about?

Great Work by David Sturt explores strategies for creating meaningful, impactful contributions in any profession. It combines research from 1.7 million workplace success stories to identify habits of top performers, emphasizing innovation, proactive problem-solving, and aligning work with audience needs. The book provides actionable frameworks like the "5 Great Work Skills" to help readers elevate their output beyond routine tasks.

Who should read Great Work: How to Make a Difference People Love?

This book is ideal for professionals seeking to innovate in their careers, managers aiming to foster impactful teams, and entrepreneurs building purpose-driven organizations. It’s particularly relevant for HR leaders and recognition specialists, given Sturt’s expertise in workplace culture at O.C. Tanner, a global employee recognition firm.

Is Great Work by David Sturt worth reading?

Yes—the New York Times bestselling book offers evidence-based methods to transform ordinary tasks into extraordinary outcomes. Readers gain tools to identify unmet needs, refine ideas through feedback, and measure impact. Its blend of case studies and practical steps makes it valuable for anyone seeking career growth or organizational influence.

What are the main frameworks in Great Work?

Sturt introduces five core skills:

• Spotting unmet needs in daily work
• Refining ideas through iterative feedback
• Delivering difference by aligning outcomes with audience values
• Persisting through challenges using intrinsic motivation
• Recognizing breakthroughs to reinforce innovation

How does Great Work apply to remote teams?

The book’s principles align with modern hybrid work by teaching employees to identify virtual collaboration gaps, managers to appreciate distributed contributions, and organizations to systematize recognition—a key focus of Sturt’s work at O.C. Tanner, which pioneered digital recognition platforms.

What criticism exists about Great Work?

Some reviewers note the frameworks require sustained effort to implement, making them challenging for time-constrained professionals. Others suggest pairing the book with O.C. Tanner’s recognition tools for maximum real-world impact.

How does Great Work compare to Atomic Habits?

While James Clear’s Atomic Habits focuses on incremental personal routines, Sturt’s Great Work emphasizes organizational-level innovation through team-based problem-solving. Both books value small, consistent improvements but differ in scope—individual habits vs. systemic workplace change.

What iconic quotes appear in Great Work?

Key lines include:

• “Great work starts with a question, not an answer.”
• “The difference that makes a difference isn’t about effort—it’s about impact.”

These emphasize shifting from task completion to value creation.

How does Great Work address employee recognition?

Drawing on Sturt’s 18+ years at O.C. Tanner, the book argues that meaningful recognition fuels innovation. It provides strategies for leaders to celebrate “difference-making” moments, linking appreciation to measurable business outcomes.

Why is Great Work relevant in 2025?

As AI automates routine tasks, the book’s focus on human-centric innovation—like empathy-driven problem-solving and team recognition—remains critical for workplace relevance. Sturt’s recent Forbes columns reinforce these themes amid AI adoption trends.

How does Great Work relate to David Sturt’s other book Appreciate?

While Great Work focuses on creating impact, Appreciate (Sturt’s 2025 release) explores sustaining it through recognition. Together, they form a lifecycle model: innovate → measure → celebrate → repeat.

What does “making a difference people love” mean?

The title phrase encapsulates Sturt’s thesis: exceptional work solves problems so effectively that recipients actively admire and advocate for the solution. It’s quantified through O.C. Tanner’s research on workplace recognition drivers.