I'm preparing for two interviews for our first show of 2010(!). My guests are people who have very different takes on the meaning of work and action. We thought they'd be just right for the start of a new year.

First is Seth Godin.

Seth has been on Spark before. He's a popular business author, and a serial entrepreneur. He's just edited an e-book called What Matters Now. (You can download it for free here). Seth sought out over 70 authors and thinkers; they in turn have written short takes aimed at shaking up our assumptions and challenging us to step up to the plate in 2010. It's a call to work with others, to get past fear and isolation, and embrace the power to change things.

Seth is also coming out with a new book of his own in January, called Linchpin: Are You Indispensable, about becoming indispensable at work, not by toeing the line, but by creating work that is meaningful to others.

My second guest is Matthew B. Crawford.

Matthew is a philosopher and a mechanic. His book, Shop Class As Soulcraft, is about the power and value of skilled, physical work. It's a call to reconnect with the virtues of making and fixing physical things at a time when so much of our lives is digital and virutal. He wants to reclaim the value of these skills in an era where our default is to push people into a life as "knowledge workers".

I'd love to get your thoughts on work in 2010, so that I can raise your comments and questions with Seth and Matthew. To get the ball rolling, here are some suggestions:

What are your experiences of working with your hands, and what have you observed about those experience?

What are the risks and opportunities of going your own way and embracing your vision, if you work, as many of us do, in large, corporate environments?

What tips would you like to see Seth and/or Matthew offer to help you rethink your relationship to work in 2010?