Author: Sterling Hawkins
Leaders Mistake Hard Work 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? […]
Leaders Mistake Hard Work 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.
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
A lot has happened in the past few years since my book, We’re Really All In This Together: Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust, and Belonging, was first published in the spring of 2020. I completed the manuscript for this book (which was just released this week in paperback) at the end of 2019. I […]
Over the last four weeks, I’ve elaborated on what I call the Closing the Loop with Cycle of Listening. This consists of: Step 1: Recognizing the Unsaid – Unspoken things in your culture’s organization to recognize that your people aren’t telling their entire truth. Step 2: Seeking to Understand – Leaning in to understand someone’s perspective and […]
Unfolding everywhere around us to Disrupt or die as Duncan Wardle was featured in an article and video on NBR a couple years back. I made a prediction then, and we’re already seeing evidence of that prediction Duncan Wardle likes the Walt Disney quote: “It’s kinda fun to do the impossible.” He knows more than […]
Hey there, are you a white person wondering what Things You Can Do As An Ally for Black people right now? A lot of my white friends have been asking, you’re not alone. I’ve received several questions from friends wanting to do something so I thought I’d compile these all on one place. This is […]
A little while ago, I wrote an article titled “Critical thinking for the Adaptive Leader – nine key characteristics to What are your sacred cows”, which featured on the Conference Speakers International website. I briefly highlighted nine characteristics that Adaptive Leaders adopt to navigate a changing world. For this article, I am going to be […]
For Africas growth path it is important to recognize that lessons learnt in a particular place and time in history are not automatically transferrable to another part of the world. However, the growth of Africa mirrors to some degree that of Asia over the past 40 years. The development of the four main Asian Tigers – […]
Here are six ways to create psychological safety to re-engage and reassure today’s anxious, disengaged and lonely workforce. Teams can be lonely places. People can feel vulnerable and exposed if they believe their teammates don’t support their ideas or appreciate their work. These interpersonal struggles intensify for remote workers who lack the support of a nodding […]
Is Complacency Putting You Risk? Lessons From a Fighter Pilot Flying taught me a valuable lesson about life: complacency can cause serious problems for ourselves and those around us. In this newsletter, share a personal story about the dangers of complacency including the following topics: Complacency Consequences What leads to complacency? Signs Complacency is Creeping […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
