How to Succeed in Business? Do Less
Great essay on being successful that can be summed up in the old adage that “less is more”. But as the author discusses, it requires a societal paradigm shift in what it means to be a “hard worker”
“We should change our individual work habits if we wish to perform better, but the implications are much more far-reaching. We also need to change how we manage and reward work, how we measure economic productivity and perhaps most important, how our culture recognizes hard work. We should no longer take it as an automatic compliment to hear that we’re “hard working.” Hard work isn’t always the best work. The key is to work smarter.
So much in our workplaces is premised on the conventional wisdom that hard work is the road to success, and that working the hardest makes you a star. Our analysis suggests the opposite. Yes, the best performers work hard (about 50 hours a week in our data, like Natalie), but they don’t outperform because they work longer hours. They outperform because they have the courage:
1. to cut back and simplify when others pile on,
2. to say “no” when others say “yes,”
3. to pursue value when others just meet internal goals, and
4. to change how they do their jobs when others stick with the status quo.
They’re innovators of work.”
