Boomer Business Tip – Hard work vs. Working hard
What’s the difference between hard work and working hard? Seth Godin (in small is the new big) says working hard doesn’t take much mental energy, and it also doesn’t produce anything meaningful. You can work hard every day at a factory job and end up retiring with no improvement other than 30 years of pay.
Working hard, on the other hand, is about risk. I see it as the ability to make the tough decisions. In my “day” job, I administer several academic departments. Much of the time I sit around like the Maytag Repairman, working on projects and planning. Then a student or faculty member or adminstrator comes along and dumps a problem in my lap. That’s why I get paid for – figuring out how to deal with these problems. It’s not hard work, but it sure is working hard. That’s why they pay me the “big bucks” (right!).
Is your job hard work? Or is it working hard? If you’re doing hard work and want to start working harder/smarter, how can you do that?