My grandfather used to always say if you work really hard, it will pay off and people will notice.
He was a firm believer that success came in direct correlation to your efforts, and it’s a lesson I’ve taken with me throughout my own life.
But I’ve noticed something alarming of late – something that may not have existed during my grandfather’s long career.
Today, working hard doesn’t seem to propel you up the corporate ladder as much as you might expect. It seems the business environments of today are more about popularity than anything else.
Time and time again I see people who go to great lengths to prove their worthiness to management through their dedication and efforts, only to be overshadowed by those who spend more of their time “brown nosing” the right people. They create a façade if you will to avoid being scrutinized for the work they really aren’t doing- juggling just enough tasks to make it appear as though they’re busy all day long.
Vince Lombardi once said, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”
Are you applying the best of yourself, or are you relying on popularity contests to be the measure of your job effectiveness and security?
The sad reality is the later will probably get you farther in our current society – just look around your own cubicles and I’m sure you’ll have no trouble identifying such individuals.
But I have to believe that my grandfather’s words still ring true in the hearts of many people who know at the end of the day, hard work will eventually trump being “popular”.
At least I hope so.
