Drop your excuses - Show Results
By Terry Brock for DSound and Steemit
I remember years ago when I was in my MBA program taking a particularly difficult class in quantitative analysis. We had a rather arduous test one time and I remember the painful feeling I had when I saw that I got a B- when I was hoping to get an A.
As I was in class contemplating how I would need to improve before the other tests in that course, a lady on the front row of the class raised her hand with a question. When the instructor called on her she pleaded with him for a higher grade because she said she had studied very hard. I'll never forget the answer that the professor gave her which applies to much of life. "You don't get a grade based on how hard you study. Your grade is a result of your test answers."
Life is like that. You don't get paid in life – and definitely not in business – based on how much effort or trying you put into something. I don't care how many hours it takes to make a car that I would purchase. What I care about are the results of what the car manufacturer is offering. Those results consist of the quality of the car in key areas that are important to me, as well as the overall price that I will pay.
It is too easy in life to make excuses rather than do the work. Many people think like my classmate cited earlier did that she should get a grade based on the amount of time she studied. Many people feel that because they have a great need that somehow they are entitled to something.
I remember a friend of mine telling me years ago some profound words of advice; "Your needs do not constitute a demand on my resources." Just because someone feels they have a need for something does not give them the right to take what I have worked to earn. Ultimately in life you don't get value based on need, but rather on what you produce and earn.
It seems easier to make excuses than do the hard work that is needed. The reality is that it is often easier to do the hard work than to sit back and complain and have the results of not doing the work. There are consequences either way. The best consequences come from doing productive work rather than coming up with excuses.
Similar to this concept we will see people who are prone to tell us what they're going to do. Don't tell me what you're going to do–show me the results of what you did. “Done” speaks much louder than “gonna’ do.”
Remember you don't get paid for effort. You get paid for results. Showing me how hard you worked doesn't count. Successful people have a way of focusing on achieving results rather than making excuses about why they didn't.
I never saw that woman after we completed that course we were taking. I'm hoping that she has had a very successful career and achieved what she wanted. Perhaps our professor’s words of advice helped her understand that we need to focus on results more than efforts.
Focusing on results and getting the job done will lead to success. Don't take the (temporarily) easy route complaining and generating excuses. Instead, roll up your sleeves, figure out what needs to be done, and don't stop until you achieve the results you need.
Somehow I think my MBA professor would call that an A+ philosophy.
Please leave your comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!
Terry
Terry Brock, MBA, CSP, CPAE
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