I think this is a depressing and ignores the fact that being good at your work can bring tremendous satisfaction.

It's our personal responsibility to know ourselves well enough to understand what motivates us and makes us feel satisfied. For me it was process improvements. I could work in biotech or high-tech or property management--didn't matter. When I saw something I could make work better, I took the initiative to make it happen.

All my employers appreciated it and all of them promoted me and rewarded me for it.

For someone else the thing that motivates them will be something entirely different, but the key is figuring out what it is and looking for work that allows you do do it.

If people identify their talents and focus on what they are drawn to, they can have work that is both rewarding to them and contributes to the bottom line. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.