Doing the Difficult Work

After hearing about the story of James Cameron on the Founders podcast by David Senra, it has provoked a lot of thought about what it takes to be great. Not good, but actually great, meaning a level that is at the top of your profession, industry or specialization, top 1% great at what you do. The more I reflect, the more I realize that most don't actually want to be at that level. Many want to be good, and many say they want to be great and would certainly take it, if it weren't for the time, effort, and sacrifice, blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to get to the truly exceptional, great level.

When you look at someone like James Cameron, Michael Jordan, Steve Jobs, or other true greats, you realize the level of sacrifice it requires, which most of us just aren't willing to make. It's a brutal reality that most of us want the positives, but don't want to take on the negatives that go along with it. We don't want to give up that time with family, friends, that time on the golf course, on the lake, or binging Netflix. We want to do great things, but also have that balance, harmony - we want both.

And that's okay that many of us aren't willing to give up everything for that GOATlevel, and I would argue it's actually good that most of us aren't from that perspective - we're not all built like a robot, raised like Tiger Woods, or so cold, calculating, or with a touch of crazy, that we put all aside to achieve what we want or feel pulled to create. Not everyone can be the greatest at the same time. And we of course need those who have more of a caring side, have other community motives, or are willing to put aside careers for others. Sacrifice for the greater good, versus achievement in many cases, which has a different kind of power, and a whole lot of earned respect for those who can dedicate so much to others or a cause.

Regardless if you are willing to go to the James Cameron level, or work like Kobe, you can still have the focus, intensity, and work ethic that can allow you to do exceptional work. You may not be a star or celebrity that everyone knows, but you can do great work, making a meaningful impact across an industry, supporting a significant mission. You're capable of delivering or creating work that is at a different level than others, and still have a life. How do you have both?

This isn't a piece on work-life balance, it's about doing the difficult work. Getting into the real work of your specialization or profession. Finding your niche and not shying away from the level of work it takes to become one of the best in your field, and develop yourself. In order to get to that higher level, being better than most, you need to have that killer instinct. People talk about being a killer, but what does that mean? For me, it means an achiever or striver, a level of dedication, commitment, effort that allows you to power through, and develop a passion for the work that few can find or maintain. It's about developing a passion for the most difficult work. Channeling your energy into your passion and not letting anything get in your way to winning and growing as a person.

Difficult work doesn't mean simply working on hard things, rather it means not shying away from the most challenging, complex, or far-fetched projects, tasks, or initiatives. You seek out challenging, you seek out the work no one else wants because others think it's the impossible. This is what hit home with the story of James Cameron, with it being how he thrived on difficult. He sought out difficult and did anything to stay away from easy. This sets us a part many from ordinary.

In my own career, I can relate how I was able to find success at different points, with some coincidental and some instances more intentional of finding the hard stuff, not focusing on taking the easy route. Looking back, I intentionally took on the challenging work because I loved the challenge. If others were scared of it, didn't think it could be done, or didn't have success with it, I gravitated to it. Not because of intelligence or some magic answer, but I aligned well with the projects where an organized approach, resilience, grit, and a get it done mentality worked well. It wasn't rocket science, but it was more of aligning with the other side, the non-glamourous work. I gravitated towards the dirty work, and it thankfully went over well that others didn't understand it, because you couldn't be placed in a box, like other projects or programs.

No comparison intended to underwater filming or making Terminator, like Cameron, as there is no comparison to individuals at this level, but I share this to say - go do the hard stuff. Find the difficult work, don't shy away from complex or messy, as you can do that impossible. Impossible was meant to be transformed into what has been done. The difficult work was put before you to tackle it, not hide from it.

In terms of what this means for Operations - you can get by with the simple stuff, routine, fundamental, and yes, this works. Often in Operations, executing on fundamentals is what separates those who can, versus those who cannot. But in order to get to the next level where your group or company is irreplaceable, you need to go after what others shy away from, or simply aren't willing to do. Your team becomes valuable at the highest level, once you are willing to do the impossible, the hard stuff, the dirty work.

When you consider your People, Mission, and Purpose, and want to drive Results and Profitability - go after the hard stuff. It's the level where you rise from the fray and build the sustainable and fully scalable operational framework that competition only dreams of. The difficult work is where your growth and your own version of greatness can be found.

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

- Mark Twain

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