Leaders Mistake Hard Work for Growth

Hard work alone doesn’t lead to company growth, success or anything else. It may even lead to something on the other side of the spectrum, burnout or possibly even the end of a company or a career.

Let me ask you something. Do you think companies (or careers) on the decline are working hard, or not? I’d be willing to bet they’re working harder than ever. Some of the hardest, longest days I’ve ever spent were when I was just trying to get by. Hard work alone is a myth.

The surprising truth is that hard work alone leads to linear growth, at best. If we keep going through more or less the same motions (calling similar kinds of people, going to the same conferences, marketing in about the same way, through the same channels) we’re going to end up with about the same results. Makes sense, right?

Whether you work for a Fortune 500 company or you’re an entrepreneur, at some point we’ve all had the feeling of being stuck. And ironically no amount of hard work will get you unstuck. There’s no linear path to exponential change. 

What’s required is technically easy in theory and very difficult in practice: hunting discomfort. Actually growing your “comfort zone” as individuals and inside of company culture. Here’s the difference between hard work and growth: 

What side of this paradigm do you fall on? Is there a difference between where you think you are and where you think your company falls?

Join me in The #NoMatterWhat Community on Facebook as we discuss this idea further and unpack more differences between hard work and growth. You’ll be in good company with others that are committed to growth regardless of the circumstances.

Getting breakout, transformational growth isn’t just a function of hard work (although it may take hard work). It’s a function of pushing past limiting beliefs, paradigms and systems that no longer work, not just working those old systems harder. They may be what got you to this point, but they’re not what will take you to the next one.