The Bad-Good-Great Work Model
Categorize all your work into three types to systematically increase what matters most
Inspired by graphic designer Milton Glaser, Michael Bungay Stanier divides all work into three categories: Bad Work (waste of time, bureaucracy, pointless meetings), Good Work (productive, familiar, comfortable work that delivers results), and Great Work (meaningful work that has impact, stretches you, and makes a difference). Most professionals spend 10-40% on Bad Work, 40-80% on Good Work, and 0-25% on Great Work. The framework uses fifteen map exercises to help you identify your current mix, discover what Great Work looks like for you, and build a plan to shift the balance. The key insight is that Great Work decays into Good Work over time as it becomes familiar, and Good Work has a gravitational pull that makes increasing Great Work an ongoing practice rather than a one-time fix.
- All work falls into three categories: Bad, Good, and Great
- Great Work decays into Good Work over time as mastery increases
- Good Work has gravitational pull—its comfort and familiarity make it hard to leave
- Great Work requires both courage and discomfort—it stretches you into the unknown
- You do not need to save the world—you need to make a difference that matters to you
- Map Your Current Work MixDraw a circle and divide it into three pie slices representing how much Bad Work, Good Work, and Great Work you are currently doing. Trust your intuition on proportions. Write two specific examples in each segment. Compare your current mix to your ideal mix. Most people want zero Bad Work and more Great Work, but the balance of Good and Great varies by person and season.Pro tipCheck your calendar from the past week to validate your intuitive pie chart against how you actually spent your time
- Discover What Great Looks Like for YouUse three discovery maps to identify your unique Great Work profile. Map What Is Great examines past peak experiences for patterns. Map What Are You Like at Your Best identifies your strengths in action. Map Who Is Great explores role models who inspire you. Look for themes across all three maps that point to your Great Work territory.Pro tipYour Great Work often lives at the intersection of what is meaningful to you and what the world needs—look for that overlap
- Pick a Great Work ProjectScan your current work and life for Great Work opportunities using three scanning maps. Map What Is Calling You identifies possibilities that excite you. Map What Is Broken reveals problems that inspire you to act. Map What Is Required balances competing demands. Then use the Best Choice map to select one specific Great Work project to pursue.Pro tipStart with the Great Work project that is small enough to start this week but meaningful enough to sustain your motivationWarningDo not wait for the perfect project. Any Great Work is better than continuing only Good Work.
- Create Your Great Work PlanBuild a concrete action plan with three elements: What Will You Do (specific next actions), What Support Do You Need (Great Work is not solo work), and What Is the Next Step (the single immediate action that puts you in motion). Get a Great Work buddy to hold you accountable and support you through the inevitable challenges.Pro tipFind a Great Work buddy and check in weekly—the accountability factor is the single biggest predictor of follow-through
Andy led a marketing team launching a new pharmaceutical product but found only 10% of his work was Great Work—the actual marketing thinking. 60% was Good Work managing the project and 30% was Bad Work managing team egos. By reframing team leadership as a Great Work opportunity rather than Bad Work drudgery, he discovered new approaches to making the team effective.
Seth Godin contributed to the book emphasizing that Great Work is about shipping—getting your important work out into the world rather than perfecting it endlessly. His concept of the Linchpin—someone who does work that matters—aligns with the Great Work framework as a call to stop hiding behind Good Work and start creating real impact.
Bungay Stanier, a coach and facilitator who has worked with thousands of people worldwide, was inspired by Milton Glaser observation that all creative work falls into three categories. He expanded this beyond creative work to all professional work, developing fifteen practical mapping exercises through years of coaching and facilitation. The framework emerged from the recognition that nobody ever says I have too much Great Work in my life.