![\"Leslie](\"http://content.contentthatworks.com/images_other/authors/author_whitaker_leslie.jpg\")
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article_html += " Leslie Whitaker is co-author of \"Good Girls Guide to Negotiating.\" E-mail her at Leslie@ctwfeatures.com and join the conversation at www.lesliewhitaker.com.";
article_html += " By Leslie Whitaker
CTW Features
When was the last time you engaged in blue-sky thinking?
"; article_html += "If your response is \"Not in a long while,\" you\'re not alone. During a recession, fear of losing what we\'ve got can keep our feet planted firmly on the office floor. However, employees and employers who engage in \"deficit thinking\" - sacrificing aspirations in favor of self-protection - fail to recognize their own, irrepressible ability to foster abundance, claim Dave and Wendy Ulrich, authors of The Why of Work (McGraw-Hill, 2010).
"; article_html += "The Ulrichs - Dave is a University of Michigan business professor and Wendy is a psychologist - define abundant organizations as those that inspire employees to create meaning for themselves, value for stakeholders and hope for humanity. Their employees have abundant quantities of creativity, hope, resilience, determination, resourcefulness and leadership, which the authors consider \"the things that matter most.\"
"; article_html += "Their book points to research indicating that such \"intangibles\" lead to more than good feelings. They can account for 50 percent of the market value of a publicly traded firm. Conversely, employers lacking in these assets suffer from high rates of employee turnover and tend to generate lower profits per employee.
"; article_html += "If you would like to identify an abundant organization, look for workplaces where employees are happy, investors are impressed and customers are loyal. Steer clear of organizations where employees are reluctant to recommend their employers\' products or services.
"; article_html += "Even if you are stuck working for an organization that does not exude abundance, you can attempt it on your own.
"; article_html += "Make a list of your strengths and figure out ways to use them to build value for customers. If you are a detail person, for example, make that your hallmark. Explain your strategy to your colleagues and then execute it consistently. \"Never forget that behavior will communicate more convincingly than words and logos,\" the Ulrichs write.
"; article_html += "The book\'s numerous exercises offer readers practical ways to put the Ulrichs\' philosophy into practice. One worksheet instructs readers to spend 20 minutes writing, \"Whatever comes to mind describing what your life would look like five years from today if you had become your best self and all your dreams were realized.\" It\'s a liberating drill for those who are anxious to loosen gravity\'s ties.
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article_html += " Leslie Whitaker is co-author of \"Good Girls Guide to Negotiating.\" E-mail her at Leslie@ctwfeatures.com and join the conversation at www.lesliewhitaker.com.";
article_html += "
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