You all know we are really into building great companies where people love to work. In the past, we have recommended the book Drive, by Daniel Pink, which focuses on how organizations can effectively — and successfully — motivate their teams. We discovered an outstanding article in the May 2013 Harvard Business Review that delves into the same issue. The article, titled “Creating the Best Workplace on Earth,” was written by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, and its precepts are based on a three-year study. As a result of the study, Goffee and Jones have identified six common imperatives of great places to work. Here is their list:

• Let me be myself (i.e., I want to be the same person at work as I am at home).
• Tell me what’s really going on (i.e., tell us all the whole story; don’t spin information).
• Discover and magnify my strengths (i.e., give every team member a chance to develop).
• Make me proud I work for your company (i.e., I want to value what we stand for).
• Make my work meaningful (i.e., at work, it gives us purpose when we share a common cause).
• Don’t hinder me with stupid rules (see our May 27, 2013, post).

Consider using this as a self-assessment tool for your company. Although these ideas may seem easy and rather obvious, very few companies manage to accomplish all six.