My kids have put up with me for a long time now.

When they were little they put up with my teasing and tickling. As they got older they put up with my dorky dad humor.

And for a long time now they've heard me mention, when we walk into a store or restaurant or any place of business, whether or not it's a good place to work - even though I've never worked there and don't personally know anyone who does.

When I was 20 I had several experiences that helped me realize that I wanted to be a leader of people for the rest of my life. Not for status, or money (clearly), or power, but because I recognized early, a talent for helping people better their situation. Both their immediate and long-term position. Being a manager in a business - any kind of business - I felt would give me that opportunity.

I was right.

In the process of helping people better their situations, I got to do some very detailed lab work. I got to observe people who loved their jobs and hated their jobs, and I got to find out in detail, why. I've done this with hundreds of people for more than 20 years. Add to that, I took every opportunity to study what makes people love or hate their work through a bachelors degree, a master's degree, formal continuing education and personal study. I've always wanted people to love their work. I've wanted it to be their art, the thing they lose track of time doing, the thing that energizes, not drains them. When people get that right, work ceases to be work. It's been this way with 100% of the people that get there.

That's why today, on my morning walk, when I saw this post leaning out into the street, I thought again, "This person probably hates their job." Not only that, his or her boss probably hates their job too.

The picture is of a bollard. A bollard is there to keep cars off the sidewalk. This bollard is angled at the bottom. It's angled at the bottom because it's mounted on a sloping sidewalk approach which is sloped to allow wheelchairs, strollers and other wheeled equipment to get onto the sidewalk. The bollard was mounted with the angled portion at the bottom going the wrong way, so now the bollard leans into the street.

If this person liked their job, if they were committed to, enthusiastic about, and involved in their work, they would have noticed the beveling at the bottom and mounted it the right way. It is so pronounced, you can't miss it.

So, how can I tell when I walk into a business whether or not it's a good place to work? There's really no trick to it. It's in the actions and on the faces of everyone who works there. Do they ignore you? Do they mumble when they grudgingly help you? Are they playing with their phones?We're conditioned to this type of reception. "It's retail, so these people don't get paid much. Of course they hate their jobs." we subconsciously think. Or, "It's work and work is work and it's supposed to be a drudgery." Neither of these are true, they're just normal, so we accept them.

Yes, I can tell within about one minute whether or not any business is a good place to work. I've been studying this for years. And in the times I've been able to dig a little deeper with people on the inside, I've been right in my judgement.

Work isn't just work and therefore a drudgery. There are very specific reasons why people feel this way. And there are very specific, measured and scientifically proven ways to fix it.