The other day I was feeling under the weather, so I decided to get some R&R. I did something I don't usually do — I watched a movie in the middle of the day.
I finally got around to watching “Hamilton” (based on the wildly popular Broadway show) since so many people still rave about it. Early in the film, Alexander Hamilton breaks into his iconic song “
This got me thinking about young workers today. Sure, COVID is no picnic, but many young professionals have never been through a recession, a war, or periods of high inflation and high unemployment. They’ve barely been through a bear market in stocks. It’s never been easier to find a job if you’re willing to work, so I wonder how they’ll fare when the tide turns, and leverage falls back to employers. Suppose we go back to the days of dozens of qualified applicants for every opening. I wonder how well workers’ demands for telecommuting, flex time and other work-life balance perks will go over. Not well.
As an industry, I worry that we’re becoming too complacent. As professional service providers, do we still want to be the best we can be? If so, there are no shortcuts. As they say in the weight room: “You have to put in the reps.”
Sure, flexible schedules and four-hour workdays are nice. But if that’s what’s driving you, it’s going to take you a long time (if ever) to be great. Again, there is no secret sauce. You must put in the time to get better. Are you getting in the 10,000 hours that Malcolm Gladwell says you need to become an expert at your profession?
With the current shift in leverage from employers to workers, firms are bending over backward to recruit and retain younger members of the profession and to keep them happy. But the demands for higher pay, shorter work weeks and generous benefits can’t keep going up forever. Eventually, we’ll reach a tipping point — and companies will find they can get machines to do the work faster and more efficiently for less. They’ll also be looking for (human) team members who are still scrappy and hungry. As I remind my six-year-old daughter when she complains about homework: “Nothing great comes from something easy.”
Simple ways to stay scrappy and hungry
If we want to keep being successful as individuals, as firms, and as a country, we have to remember what got us here in the first place — hard work and resilience. For more, see my article "
Getting your edge back
With COVID disruptions and working from home, I know many of you are out of your routine. I’ve found one of the best ways to get your scrappiness and hunger back is to find ways to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd. Here are three smart ways to do it that won’t require you to undergo a complete makeover:
1. Commit to becoming an expert. Earl Nightingale said if you read one hour every night about your chosen profession, you will be an expert within five years. It’s easier than ever to get kudos for this because no one else wants to do the work.
2. Always look professional. Even (especially) if you’re working from home, show up in a jacket and tie for Zoom calls. Over the top? Absolutely. Everyone will take notice. Be engaged at all times. Make sure everyone knows you are present.
3. Become an excellent communicator. Polish your reading and writing skills because no matter how technical you think your job is, you're still going to have to communicate. Read Strunk & White's "
If you used to be scrappy and hungry and feel you've lost your edge, it’s never been easier to get back in the game. Just because everyone else is mailing it in and doing the bare minimum, never settle for the status quo. It’s time to get your head back in the game. The same goes for your firm, for our profession, and our country.
“Rise up, it’s time to take a shot.
Rise up, take a shot, shot, shot.
It’s time to take a shot, time to take a shot
And I am not throwin’ away my,
Not throwin’ away my shot.”
— Hamilton: An American Musical
