Should We Work Hard?

While on vacation recently, I re-read Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling book, Outliers, The Story of Success.  Gladwell uses exhaustive research to detail interesting stories and accounts to draw significant conclusions about why people are successful.  As he says, “I will argue that there is something profoundly wrong with the way we make sense of success.”  Later he says something equally interesting:

“Virtually every success story we’ve seen in this book so far involves someone or some group working harder than their peers.  Bill Gates was addicted to his computer as a child.  So was Bill Joy.  The Beatles put in thousands of hours of practice in Hamburg.  Joe Flom ground away for years, perfecting the art of takeovers, before he got his chance.  Working really hard is what successful people do….”

I consult and coach a lot of people in varying segments of the marketplace.  Most complain about how difficult it is to compete today.  After I agree with them, I ask, “But hasn’t it always been that way?”  Businesses have always needed to adapt, and although things move much quicker today than ever before, it simply requires all of us to adapt more quickly.

I also preach a lot about hard work and how it is a bell-weather to success.  While I would argue that hard work isn’t the only thing we have to do to be successful, like Gladwell says, there is hardly anyone or any group that has become highly successful without working really hard.  Smart work is also important, but it usually follows long hours of hard work.

So the next time you find yourself complaining about how things have changed and how hard it has become, think of the hard work that your successful competitors are putting in.  That may give you pause to re-think your own work ethic.

 
Here are a few Business & Life Tips to think about….

Business Tips:

• Small companies don’t need an employee handbook. Try these basics: work hard, do right, serve customers, and use good judgment.
• Want to be successful in your business life? Then practice the 3As: have the right Attitude, ensure your Abilities, and be Adaptable.
• As a leader, when you can get people to appreciate their own vested interest in the business, performance will be enhanced.

Life Tips:

• Failure can be turned into success if we learn from it. The key to surviving failure is to have optimism and perseverance.
• Persistence is as important as performance. Greatness is seldom achieved on the first try. Never give up on your goal. Never!
• It doesn’t matter where you’ve come from. It matters where you’re going. Take the time to know your true direction in life.

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