The advantage of work ethic?

I stood in a field getting pelted by wind, rain and hail, in front of a huge pile of manure, armed with just a pitchfork. As I sat there pondering what wrong turns I had taken in my life to result in such a predicament, every ounce of my being was screaming at me to just drop the pitchfork, hop in the truck and drive away. After all, who would know I had only loaded half of it? Were my instructions really that specific?  I jumped in the cab, turned the key and sat. After several minutes, I very reluctantly put my hat and coat back on, trudged back out into the storm, and finished the job.

Work ethic. At times in modern business work ethic seems as rare as diamonds. I often think of that manure pile when I am faced with a task, or situation that I simply want no part of.  What drove me to be unable to walk away, to feel compelled to stay and finish the job? 

I most likely owe this work ethic to my parents. I was taught at an early age that the work you do is your signature. It represents more than a job or task, it is a reflection of who you are. It defines your character. Many times I have found myself working at 8pm on a Friday for a company I already resigned from, and it’s that manure pile all over again. Maybe I will choose something different to do tomorrow, but for today I am committed to do this well.

As a leader, it is one the key qualities I look for in candidates and team members.  Sometimes its referred to as “ownership”, sometimes as “quality” or “commitment”, but its usually as simple as whether the individual has a “strong work ethic”.  If I hired you, and especially if I keep trying to hire you as I move to different roles, it is almost a certainty that this is why.  Give me a team of people willing to work hard, and have pride in their work, and there is almost nothing we can’t accomplish. 

I occasionally teach at a local university and was speaking to a roomful of students recently about how to build a career in HR. I stressed over and over the need to work hard, to always raise your hand to take on new tasks and learn new things. I mentioned that if someone ever says to me “that isn’t in my job description” I at least partially write them off.  I gave the example that if my boss or our CEO were to ask me to sweep the sidewalk in front of our building, I would likely think they were vastly over-paying me to do that work, and if it became my main task I would likely look for another role, but at the end of the day today that sidewalk would be spotless. That sentiment was met with a bit less than an enthusiastic response from the class.  

My final words to the class that day were simple: If you are entering the work force and you have a strong work ethic you are almost automatically in the top percentage and have a great opportunity to grow your career.  Smart people are a dime a dozen, but those who will truly go above and beyond for no other reason than pride in their work will differentiate themselves very quickly. 

The funny thing is, I don’t recall ever attending a seminar or training about work ethic. I don’t recall any courses in university that even mentioned how important this is. I don’t recall any graduate level courses on how to be an executive who can balance strategy and yet considers no task below them. Perhaps that should change?