My Dog’s work ethic
This weekend I started reading an excellent book by George Anders called The Rare Find. I am not finished with the book yet but so far I am finding it very helpful and informative. One section that I read recently talked about the concept of strong work ethic. Anders notes that this is a universal concept but also that it is idiosyncratic and different depending on the occupation:
On Wall Street it’s the sudden determination to get to Cleveland in a snowstorm, no matter how badly transportation is snarled, so that a key client meeting can happen on time. In medicine, it’s a mid-career willingness to spend weekends and evenings staying abreast of new research findings instead of coasting on knowledge gained twenty years ago. And so on.
After reading that I kept crossing passion with work – ethic. To me they are almost interchangeable. When you love your field it’s not really work to read industry research or attend seminars on the weekend. In the Anders quote above, the relentless determination to make it to a Wall Street client meeting could be a stand-in definition for Wall Street culture. Wall Street is full of people who don’t rest after the deal is done, they love what they do and are out the following day looking for the next big deal. Want to work on Wall Street? Want to understand it’s culture? There you have it.
So what does a strong work-ethic mean in your company? Is it fueled by people that do “homework” over the weekend? The tinkerers? Or is it fueled by people “working late” just to say they work late? What about you? Are you tinkering over the weekend? Or leaving work behind once you pull out of the parking lot on Friday?
All day grind..I love what they said about reading new materials and findings instead of coasting on knowledge gained in years past…Love that.
Rock on
That spoke to me as well, I\’m not surprised the hardest working man in HR thought the same thing! You will have to start on The Rare Find once you finish Linchpin!
I have a strong work ethic in that I strive for excellence in the work I produce, but I wouldn’t lie and tell anyone that I am passionate about any job I’ve held to date. I think they can go hand in hand, but that they’re nonetheless two distinct concepts. There are some people who are workaholics and highly lauded in their fields, but they’re not actually passionate about their jobs; they simply don’t know what else to do with themselves, or they’re passionate about acquiring money, etc. I smile when I see people like you who are indeed passionate about their work, though.
Hi Sheritz,
Thank you for taking the time to comment, it is much appreciated. I like your distinction about passion and the specific job you hold. I have worked in jobs before where I was not passionate about the job itself but still really enjoyed HR. Thanks!