Three Lessons "Quiet Quitters" Can Learn From "Core Committers"

I started my career right out of high school, working for the Canadian military in their supply warehouse in Germany. Without any specialized education, I took on the "grunt jobs," which didn’t leave any room for slacking off. If the job wasn’t completed as expected and within a specific time frame, it was noticeable and so were the repercussions.?

That experience shaped my work ethic, which I relied on solely to get ahead. I credit being driven to go above and beyond at work for much of my upward mobility. I went on to reach senior levels of the organizations I worked for in my industry, eventually becoming a CEO.

While my career path didn’t seem much of an anomaly at the time, in 2024 the idea of employees advancing in their careers through a core commitment to their employers, has become a rarity. ? Last year, a Gallup world poll, showed 60% of employees globally were “quiet quitting,” that is, doing the bare minimum amount of work required to stay employed. This phenomenon, widely associated with Gen Z and Millennials, makes some sense when you look at the macroeconomic environment of the past five to 10 years.?

Like many of us, quiet quitters, have benefitted from a tight labour market. In the first two months of 2024 however, we’ve already seen 42,324 workers laid off by 168 tech companies.

As funding becomes harder to obtain and more companies look to reduce costs, it’s not a stretch to think quiet quitters will be affected. I personally identify as a “core committer,” someone who is driven to do everything I can to ensure my team and our greater company’s goals are met. Here are three ways “core committing” has paid off in my career:

Committing To A Team, Gives You A Greater Sense of Purpose?

In the military, operations are designed to run efficiently — every individual is expected to contribute towards a common goal. Expectations are made clear and if you don’t deliver, you let down your whole team. Working in this environment, I came to understand the need to self-sacrifice at the expense of the team’s greater success. If someone called in sick for a midnight shift in dispatch, I would fill in without question. And if a job outside of my description needed to get done — I was there.

There’s a common conception amongst quiet quitters that hard work is rewarded with even harder work. While it’s true that proving yourself capable at work can lead to more challenging tasks, this is often where the greatest opportunity for growth and professional development lies. In fact in 2024, Gartner’s HR professionals predict a counter trend to “quiet quitting” dubbed “quiet hiring.”

Employers who engage in quiet hiring will look to acquire skills without adding new full-time employees. They’ll do this by rewarding those who help meet an organization's evolving needs in the form of upskilling opportunities, one-time bonuses, additional paid time off, promotions and greater flexibility.?

Never Underestimate Your Ability To Achieve What You Commit To

Once I’d become more senior in my career and had formalized my education, I never let my ego interfere with taking on a job that other senior executives might have snickered at. In fact, I’ll never forget committing to take on what surely had to be the worst job in my company at the time. It was a turnaround operation for a division that had become completely dysfunctional.?

Upon entering the environment, the tension was palpable and it became clear early on that facilities were going to have to shut down and people would have to be let go. It was the toughest project I’d ever encountered, but I committed to seeing it through.?

The process was painful and at times it was hard to see the through line, but by operating with as much transparency as possible and maintaining respect for all those involved, we were able to get realigned. In the end we were able to get the operation back on track to a place of solvency where those who remained committed to it, were able to see it flourish and grow.??

The experience underlined a core truth that’s been highlighted many times throughout my career: one should never underestimate their ability to achieve a goal when they fully commit to it.?

According to McKinsey, more than half of employees report being relatively unproductive at work. While there are many factors that separate quiet quitters from star performers, as the job market loosens, employers are becoming more discerning of those who are reliable and committed.

The Art Of Execution Is More Important Than The Plan

A number of years ago, during a performance review with my CEOe over lunch, he gave me an unexpected compliment that I first perceived as criticism: He told me the feedback from the rest of the executive team was that I couldn’t plan my way out of a paper bag, but that they also would never underestimate my ability to get the job done.

?I recall that conversation, with fondness because what my CEO identified was one of the superpowers of core committers — we find a way to complete the mission. Mistakes are made in the process, but when you’re committed to helping your team, you find a way through the challenges and learn in the process.?

Too often in our careers, we spend an inordinate amount of time creating robust plans for tackling goals. In reality however, these ambitions often fail due to a lack of commitment and action by those involved in their execution. In fact studies have shown some 60-90% of strategic plans never fully launch.?

It’s not my intention to shun quiet quitters — I understand there are factors that have led to professionals not wanting to go ‘all in’ at work. I do believe however, the mentality presents more of a danger to the people who possess it, than it does to the companies they represent.?

If you’re not committing to growing and challenging yourself at work, where the average person spends a third of their life, then you’re missing out on critical opportunities to strengthen your sense of self worth. For me, the ultimate reward of being a core committer, is knowing my contributions have made a difference in the lives of those I’ve chosen to impact. That’s a feeling I wouldn't trade for any number of idle hours at work.?