Work Hard and Work Smart

Working hard is a key element of success. We see this in sports with athletes but also in the business world. Hamilton Holt said, Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Half effort does not produce half results. It produces no results. Work, continuous work and hard work, is the only way to accomplish results that last.

But what about working "Smart?" As we say in Juggling Elephants, there are no shortages of acts that can be put in our circus. It is easy to fill our day with "stuff" and feel like we were busy all day-but were we productive? Are we being smart about the acts that we are focusing on and how we are executing on those acts?

For example, a salesperson can spend all day plowing through phone numbers and making calls. They read the script and try to make the sale. But, pretty soon it can become canned and very routine for the salesperson and for the person on the other end of the phone. What if they stopped to research a little about the company they are calling? What if they tailored the call to the person they are selling to? What if they asked more questions? They might not be able to make as many calls but they will probably have better quality conversations which ultimately close more sales.

Quality acts versus quantity of acts. That is the ticket! Work hard and work smart.