What about 'Hard Work'?

"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." - Unknown

The harder I worked, the faster I raced. Period.

In a former life, when I was competing as an elite Ironman Triathlete back in the 90's, there was a direct correlation between the volume of training I did and the results I achieved on race day. The more disciplined and focused I was on accomplishing my training goals each week, the better my performance was when it mattered. I couldn't 'fake it' and get by without doing the work in the brutally demanding sport of Ironman racing (a one day race where you swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles, as fast as you can). I had to pay the price each day in order to compete at the level I needed to in order to be an elite contender.

This meant having an obsessive dedication to completing my workouts, regardless of the weather or other circumstances. I can't even begin to tell you how many cold, rainy days I'd be on my bike riding in the rolling countryside of Maryland to get in my weekly training miles. Or how many mornings I'd suffer through endless mile repeats on the local HS track or in swimming countless laps at the pool . If I did the work, I'd race faster. If I didn't do the work, I knew I was leaving something on the table, and not optimizing my potential. Of course, this idea isn't exclusive only to endurance athletes... it applies to almost any endeavor.

The interesting lesson I learned as an Ironman athlete was that hard work counted more than just raw talent when it came to getting results. There were a lot of athletes who were uber talented, yet didn't have the work ethic to reach their true potential so they achieved mediocre results. They were almost always beaten by those with moderate talent and a strong work ethic... those willing to make the commitment and pay the price.

In many ways, this same concept applies to the workplace culture. Just as there are gifted and talented athletes, there are gifted and talented people at work who sometimes don't 'work hard' to optimize their talents.

Other people are in the 'low-moderate talent / strong work ethic' category, who realize their true potential by 'putting in the miles' day in and day out. And sometimes, you run across that gem with both the talent AND the work ethic. These are the folks that get it AND want it, and achieve extraordinary results.

Question: Who do you want on your team, and what is the current make-up of your team? Super Talented people who just 'get by', or those who optimize their talent by rolling up their sleeves, with hard work and dedication? And how would you classify yourself? Are you skating by on raw talent, or could you achieve even more with that 'hard work' ethic? And finally, how does 'hard work' fit your company as a cultural value? And does it even matter?

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A former professional Triathlete and coach, Troy Jacobson competed in 15 Ironman Races, including the IRONMAN Hawaii World Championship 8-Times, finishing as high as 20th overall, 3rd American (1998). He also served as the Official Coach of IRONMAN (2010-2012). Leveraging his extensive background as an entrepreneur, coach and corporate team leader, his business is helping people and organizations perform better. Find at more about his services at www.troyjacobson.com