Do the Best Leaders Work Hard or Work Smart?

The answer is - Yes.

As leaders we invest a tremendous amount in our work, and there are two ways that we can approach it. We can work harder than everyone else, and we can be on a constant search to find ways to work smart. Both are equally important. Working hard without working smart does you no favors.  So, do both.   

Let’s examine what it looks like to work smart.  When you work smart you are continually looking for efficiencies and the kind of simplicities that help you get things done effectively and efficiently.  It means you are building a vast and varied network of resources and people that you can call on to help you accomplish the three or four dozen things you need to achieve each day.  And to reciprocate as you find as many ways as you can to help these good people accomplish what they need to in return. 

Smart means understanding the nuances that help leaders in your organization and your industry be successful.  The leadership competencies that we call organizational savvy and leadership agility go a long way toward describing this leadership quality. I lean on these two competencies most often, as I coach leaders to be their most productive. Within our organizations, we spend our time determining which levers to pull, who we can lean on, which approach works best in the culture, and those that don't. 

How We Achieve is as Important as What We Achieve  

When we’re presented with challenges to resolve, we have two things that we need to focus on.  We are expected to deliver on what it is we need to deliver.  And, just as important, we are responsible for cultivating relationships with those we partner with along the way.  The reason the relationships are so meaningful is that the people we get to work with are the ones that help us get things done. Pretty simple.  The other reason they’re important is that we are going to be working with those same people tomorrow, and next week and next year.  It helps if we enjoy working with each other.  

So the relationships we establish and enhance are as much of a commodity as the deliverables we achieve.   As we go about delivering on our goals, it's vital to demonstrate our organizational savvy and focus on both what we deliver and how we deliver.  We need to be constantly aware of how we build relationships, sharpen our leadership intelligence, and cultivate our leadership brand.

John Wooden: "It isn't what you do, but how you do it."

Scott F. Burns

Visit my website:  leadership-scottfburns.com