Hard Work & Leadership
I think we undervalue hard work as a leadership
quality. Understandable since it's not glamorous like courage and
doesn't pull on the heartstrings like kindness. Never the
less, the ability to get things done and push harder than anyone else is vital
if you're going to succeed at anything. The most important business lesson my father
taught me is to never underestimate the power of hard work. I'm actually pretty
old school when it comes to leadership, which you can probably tell from
reading my articles.
All the technology and clever strategies in
the world can't help you if you're lazy and don't show up. ~ Narges Nirumvala
Watching my Father has taught me so
much. On a personal note when I
first met my husband (many years ago now!) I remember a common value we shared
was a strong work ethic. We would share stories of the long hours and
sacrifices our immigrant parents made to provide for us. It's something
that draws us together even now and a value we live everyday. So I thought we
could examine hard work in more detail and give it the focus it so rightly deserves:
1. Show Up.
Showing up is about being visible and taking
action. Not just thinking about it and planning it, but actually doing
it. It's about execution and about doing what you need
to do rather than what you want to do. So even if
you're exhausted with a bad cold, you dress up, you show up and you give it
your best effort.
I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you
want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often. ~ Brian
Tracy
2. Don't Make Excuses.
We all have people we work with who make
excuses rather than taking action. They are infuriating to work with, don't
pull their weight and and rarely get anything done. They rely on other people to do the
work for them, 'fake' competence and coast through life. Eventually it will
catch up to them. People like
that drive me crazy. They are toxic to teams and need to be mentored to improve
or weeded out.
He that is good for making excuses is seldom good
for anything else. ~ Benjamin Franklin
3. Make Priorities and Stick to Them.
How many times have you said "I'm sorry
I can't do that I'm just too busy". I've said it too. The truth is we are
rarely too busy, we just don't want to do it. It's not a priority to us. When something is a priority you make the
time to do it. Because let's face it, we're all busy. Don't hide behind the 'I'm too busy' mask, if
something isn't a priority then delegate it or let it go.
4. Put In The Hours.
There's something inspiring about people who
put in the hours to get work done. All the superstar entrepreneurs and amazing
leaders I know share this ability. They are driven by passion, work hard and are proud
of it. In an era of balance I know it seems contrary to
praise hard work, but I think it's important to know when to plow through your
work full steam ahead and when to take a break. Some tasks
and projects take more time and effort.
Leaders aren't born they are made. And they are
made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll
have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal. ~ Vince Lombardi
5. Honour Your Word and Do Your Best.
I'm a huge fan of the book 'The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal
Freedom' by Don
Miguel Ruiz. If you haven't read it I highly recommend it. Both these
points are from his book, which is why I put them together. Of the four
principles he shares in his book these are the two that resonate with me the
most. Being able to honour your word and always doing your best sound like the
kind of advice a Father would give don't they?
My Dad epitomizes these two qualities. I've really
taken them to heart and tried to make them part of my everyday life.
Great leaders are committed to everydayexcellence. They put 100% into every task for
ultimate success. ~ Narges Nirumvala
One final point, every June I review my
'optional' activities, such as volunteer Boards and Committees and 'let
go' of the ones that just aren't working for me anymore. I have to admit I always feel guilty when I do it. I stepped
away from a board position just the other day (which is not on my LinkedIn
profile in case you were wondering) and within 24-hours I had a
possibility of another board position. Sometimes you have close a door for the
Universe to open a window. Do you agree or disagree with me? What's your
opinion on the importance of hard work in leadership? Leave your feedback in
the comments below!
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Credits
Posted by Narges Nirumvala
