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In today’s episode of the Leader Fluent Podcast, I’m talking about, “Five Signs of a Hard Worker.” Most people believe they work hard, but in this episode we’ll discover that working hard is more than working long hours…it’s how we work that makes the difference.
If you’re not already a subscriber, I’d love for you to subscribe to Leader Fluent today on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Android, Pandora, or your favorite podcasting platform. And as always, your RATINGS and REVIEWS are deeply appreciated.
SHOW NOTES:
What are the signs of a truly hard worker? I believe there are five signs that separate hard workers from people who simply put in long hours.
1. Right Priorities
A hard worker is not focused solely on getting things done. Anybody can do that. Instead, a hard worker is somebody who gets the right things done. In other words, they understand their high-return priorities, and then they allocate the bulk of their time and energy to those priorities.
So, how do you establish the right priorities? Start by practicing the 80/20 Rule. The 80/20 Rule says that 80% of your outcomes are the result of 20% of your activity. Simply put, if you have ten priorities, the top two priorities will produce 80% of your results. You can identify the right priorities by asking yourself, “Which priorities will give me the highest return on my investment of time?”
2. Personal Initiative
Personal initiatives show up when we practice the three P’s. First, be PROMPT. Arrive on time to work, to meetings, and to appointments. If you’re continually late, then you’re probably overscheduling, oversleeping, or underestimating how much time a task will take.
Second, own PROBLEMS. Hard workers don’t point fingers, blame others, or say, “That’s not my job.” Instead, when problems arise, hard workers take initiative to resolve them quickly.
Third, be PROACTIVE. One of the hallmarks of a hard worker is that they don’t have to be told what to do. Instead, they’re self-motivated. They take initiative without waiting on someone else to light a fire under them.
3. Quality Work
Years ago, Truett Cathy (the founder of Chick-Fil-A), told his vice presidents and marketing team, “Gentlemen, I am sick and tired of hearing you talk about us getting bigger. What we need to be talking about is getting better. If we get better, our customers will demand that we get bigger.”
Truett’s words that day shifted the entire conversation, and by 2000, Chick-Fil-A hit a billion dollars in sales. If you’re going to get better and do quality work, it will require a growth mindset, regular evaluation, excellent execution.
4. Efficient Delivery
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Work smarter, not harder.” That’s what efficient delivery is all about. It’s choosing to wisely steward time, talent, and treasure to deliver outcomes in the most efficient way possible.
One of the best ways to provide efficient delivery is create good systems. Think of the word SYSTEM as an acronym that stands for: Saves You Stress, Time, Energy, and Money. That’s what an efficient system does.
5. Unwavering Persistence
Author and psychologist, Angela Lee Duckworth, has done extensive research on the subject of grit. This is what she observed about grit…she said: “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Hard workers have the ability to stick with something even when that something is hard. They have the ability to persevere and persist. They have grit and they are resilient. So, if they have to put in more hours, they’ll put in more hours. If they have to do extra research to figure something out, they’ll do the extra research. They don’t quit. That’s part of what it means to be a hard worker.
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you identified your high-return priorities?
- Do you take initiative by being prompt, owning problems, and being proactive?
- Do deliver quality work marked by excellence?
- Is your work delivered efficiently and in a way that saves you stress, time, energy, and money?
- And do you have an unwavering persistence to keep going, even when things are tough?
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