An Honest Day’s Work
One of the many great gifts I received from my parents was a work ethic. Both my parents work very hard and have a lot of pride in doing what they do well. There are few shortcuts to success. I have to agree with Ice-T who in this Men’s Health article says that
The truth is, everybody I’ve ever met who’s successful is a workaholic.
Even those who manage to put in a relatively short day work extremely hard and very efficiently during the day. Sometimes I see someone who doesn’t work hard in the non-profit field and I want to ask, “why would you do this job?” It can’t be for the money, so if you don’t have the passion for it, why are you here?
Both Mark Cuban talks about how much hard work meant to his career here and in this link, KnowHR shows the impact of effort on education, cycling and the HR field.
Some professionals ask, “how can I get ahead?” I usually offer strategies such as leading projects, serving on committees or other tasks that are outside the average position description. I always looked at these tasks as opportunities to learn, network and improve my career. They have all paid off with a network of valued colleagues and much more experience than I would have had otherwise. I usually enjoyed doing them as well. Many staff (luckily not those who I currently work with) get frustrated with this answer because the payoff isn’t immediate. When I see too much of that, I know we have the wrong person on the team. That isn’t to say that I want all staff to work the hours that I do. I encourage them not to. However, supervisors must be aware that if they have a number of hard workers, they must demand it across the board. I have been in situations where organizations “hitch their wagon to the strongest horse.” That strategy usually leads to burnout. It is much more fun to be part of a team where the culture of peer pressure demands that everyone work hard, almost in a friendly competition of who can top the last person’s great program.
For those of us who work with kids and teens, you hear a lot of dreams about wanting to get rich, play pro ball, be a movie star etc. This is a great opportunity to share the gift of work ethic and the lesson from Ice-T above. Success takes hard work and it is something we need to share with future generations.
You hit a big nail on the head, Uncle Joe. You should work, dress & act like the next job you desire, not the job you have. Those that concern themselves with how much time they put in against another staff person or the ‘extra’ work involved with volunteering in a service club or a task force are not the ones we want to promote as outstanding professionals. As I often say, “Good enough isn’t”.
BB
Thanks for joining the conversation Brother Bill! I just had the conversation today with someone about dressing for their next job and then I read your comment. Great minds think alike. I can’t wait until you get your own blog started.
Joe