Celebrate the Slogger; Not just the Brilliant

Swinging the pendulum from the controversial Food for Thought last month, this month’s topic is motivated by some recent news I received about an old college buddy, Suresh, back in the early 70’s in India. He came from very modest means – modest even by Indian standards, which would be way below poverty by western standards – growing up in an environment where enrolling in high school was exceeding the accomplishments of his peers, let alone bagging a scholarship to one of the prestigious engineering universities in India. I spent five years with him in college. He was part of my close circle of friends. While most of us skipped classes now and then, he was never one to do so. While we procrastinated studying for the exam in the morning, he was studiously laboring away. Of course, he was smart – to wit he was admitted to that university – but he was not that brilliant student in class sought out for academic help. In a college that has produced acclaimed engineers and entrepreneurs, his performance received little recognition. But, there is one thing we always noticed – his work ethic and his perseverance.

As we called it, he was a slogger. Admittedly, our insinuation was that he had to do so to make up for the brilliance of his classmates. Little did we know that this slogger would become Major Gen. Suresh Chandra Jain, a top-ranking officer in the Indian army, who last month earned his Ph.D. for his technological advancements in the Indian Army.

We tend to notice, recognize and reward the brilliant – people who are smart and their flashes of brilliance manifests itself in their thoughts and ideas.

Flashes of brilliance are recognizable events. A brilliant idea or an astute observation is noted, and often recognized, on the spot. The event becomes memorable. We tend to associate the word “smart” as an attribute of the individual rather than an assessment of their performance. We are more likely to say “she is a smart lady,” than that “she made smart contributions at the meeting.”

In contrast, hard work and perseverance is not recognized at a specific event.

It might be recognized over time, but there is no event marking that conclusion. As such, hard work might be noticed, possibly recognized, and occasionally rewarded – and, even then, recognized and rewarded after the fact. Hard work is usually an assessment of one’s performance rather than an attribute of an individual. We tend to say, “he worked hard on that project,” rather than “he is a hard worker.” And, on the occasions when we compliment somebody as a hard worker, it often seems like a consolation prize compared to the trophy of being smart.

And yet, an employee who perseveres and works hard is likely to exhibit that behavior 24/7. In contrast, a smart employee might occasionally come up with a smart idea, but not all the time.

Ask anybody whether they would prefer a smart employee that occasionally works hard or a hard worker that is occasionally smart.

Chances are that we favor smart over hard work.

The intent of our message is not to suggest that smartness and brilliance are not of value. But rather, that we tend to unduly recognize smart people and don’t fully appreciate the value of people who are hard workers and persevere. My college friend Suresh is a hard worker. The two accomplishments mentioned above could not have been attained if he were not also reasonably smart. But his trump card has always been working hard. Celebrate the slogger, not just the brilliant.

Food for Thought is our way of sharing interesting concepts on corporate leadership and management with others who might find it useful. The thoughts offered are intended to be controversial and thought provoking. They are intended to help our readers intentionally realize their potential, what we call Potentionality.