The Rule I Had to Unlearn About Hard Work

Two questions to begin with, and the start of a series on rebuilding what you spend your days on.

I landed a full-time job I desperately needed after graduating college. I was ready to succeed and would do whatever it took to climb the career ladder. I came from a family with a strong work ethic. Head down, work hard, good things will come to you was the mantra I learned. I worked hard to stay above water, I worked hard to catch up. I was undoubtedly dedicated and reliable, so when the promotion conversation finally happened, my name would be the obvious one in the room.

It wasn’t.

People around me, my coworkers, my friends, were promoted while I was working just as hard and just as long, if not more. I felt surprised, disappointed, angry, then finally confused. The confusion stayed with me longest. I compared myself to peers and friends who were landing promotions and couldn’t find the answer... so I landed on the conclusion that I must be lacking in skill or competence. I was unworthy of that promotion.

The rule I had been following was not a bad rule, and no one handed it to me to cause harm. Head down, and work hard, and the rewards will come. Working hard still matters. Some people do notice when you show up. Some of the leaders I worked for genuinely appreciated my commitment, and they told me so.

The rule just wasn’t complete.

When I evaluated the work I had inherited and the methods of doing the work, it was time-consuming, tedious, manual and boring but someone had to do it at some point. I also realized I didn’t even understand the purpose of the work or if it was still relevant to the business in the current day.

What changed was not how much I worked (I still work hard, just in different ways). It was what I worked on and the value of that work.

Two questions to ask yourself:

If you are in that stretch right now, working long, working hard and wondering why the door hasn’t opened, these are the two questions I would hand my younger self before anything else.

1. Is the work I am doing adding value to the company?

If the honest answer is no, that is not a judgment on you. It usually means the work you inherited is no longer visible or relevant, and it is time to work differently. Time to work on different things. Time to start having conversations with a manager or mentor on what those possibilities could be for your career.

2. Is the work I am doing adding value to my life, my career and my growth?

This is my favorite question and one that I have asked myself several times over the course of my 20+ year career. This question isn’t centered around a company and its performance metrics.

The focus of this question is you. If you answer no to this question, that feeling of being stuck is important information. It might mean asking to be part of a project outside your lane, volunteering for the initiative nobody has claimed, or building a skill your role does not currently require or for another role.

The key is continuous learning. Continuous learning is not a phase you finish. It’s the key to more opportunities that help you get to that next step or a completely different career.

I know this isn’t simple, and I know that plenty of good people do everything right and still wait longer than they should for those promotions in work and in life. What I have come to believe is that the mantra I was handed was not wrong, it was just incomplete. Head down, work hard... and then look up frequently to ask whether the work is still worth your time and effort.

This is the first in a weekly series about changing the way you work. Over the next few weeks, I will share how I take inventory of the work I am doing, how I decide what to stop, and how I make room to change it. Subscribe if you would like to receive the series.

With gratitude,
Cristal
Founder, Clahrity | getclahrity.com