I have always wondered the same thing? Also why is it that people who should succeed in life don't and those that shouldn't succeed do? Crazy stuff. Nice to see that someone else believes that "work ethic" is important!! Enjoy!! Great article.
By Steve Tobak /November 15, 2010
There certainly appears to be a growing divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in America. But when it comes to achieving success in your business and career, that divide exists solely in your head.
That means you can cross it, if you know how.
While there’s certainly more than one way to do that, I found that certain characteristics and one method in particular worked for me. And since they can be learned, they can work for you.
You see, I grew up a have-not, the youngest of a lower middle-class family that lived in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, New York. My dad was a clerk in the post office and my mom worked in a bank. My dad had a high-school diploma; my mom didn’t. Life wasn’t easy, but they did everything they could to give their kids a chance at a better life than they had.
My dad instilled in me a rock solid work ethic. When I broke my leg in high-school, he was pissed off because he had to take a day off from work. And that was from a job he hated. I got the message. You do your job and you do it right, no matter what.
Early on, I demonstrated an unusual thirst for knowledge and a desire to understand how and why things worked the way they did. I was constantly asking questions to which my folks did not know the answers. It was incredibly annoying, so they bought me books and got me a library card. That was the only thing that kept me quiet.
Those two things - work ethic and thirst for knowledge - got me through school and into the high-tech industry. In the working world I learned that lots of things didn’t work quite right, which fed right into my compulsion to fix them. I learned a pretty simple way to do that. First, learn how things work, then figure out how to do them better. Simple.
I would soon learn that that ridiculously simple technique would work for everything - technology, management, even workplace politics. So I climbed the corporate ladder, pretty much by approaching every problem the same way. I call it going from Point A to Point B. Very creative, I know.
That worked up to a point when one of my many compulsions - a relentless drive to succeed - started working against me. These days, I call that self-limiting behavior. You see, everyone’s got issues that, left unchecked, will impede their success in the workplace, even their happiness as individuals. Some people become bitter and angry at their stunted growth. They blame everyone from their boss and coworkers to their spouse and parents. They look everywhere but where they should look, inside.
Socrates said, “know thyself” and “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Smart guy, that Socrates.
For the longest time, I didn’t get that. And yes, it stunted my growth. Ironically, the same method I had employed to solve problems in the working world turned out to be effective in dealing with my own self-limiting behavior. The only difference is Point A requires taking a long, hard look in the mirror. Once you do that, Point B becomes wherever your passion and goals take you.
These days I use that new, modified version of going from Point A to Point B in my strategy consulting business. Turns out it works for companies, too.
Bottom line:
So, the journey from “have-not” to “have” was made possible by three qualities:
1. Strong work ethic
2. Passion for how things work and how they can work better
3. Introspection
And a method for problem solving at work and resolving self-limiting behavior:
Going from Point A to Point B, where Point A is how things really work, i.e. reality; and Point B is how to do things or make things work better.
Of course, I don’t think these are the only factors that play a role in crossing the divide. There’s also drive, determination, and tolerance for risk and sacrifice. But for me, this is what made the difference. I’m sure we’d all be interested in knowing what worked for you.
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