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This is far more simple than it sounds. Do what others cannot to deliver success to the internal goals of the business. It is always more about capabilities and delivery and it’s never really about hard work.

These capabilities can include authoring new tools but most often are soft skills and better written communication. Many people will fail at this because they cannot perform or independently determine their own performance criteria.

Sometimes the employers will set you up for failure by limiting your value potential so that you are a commodity. In these cases value is not what you add but how well you play a game.



Yes, its never actually about actual effort. Rewards are handed out based on outcomes, interpersonal skills and PERCEIVED effort.


exactly. I've been a consultant for a large company for 7+ years. We had a very large conversion project and I am the subject matter expert on one of the internal systems involved. My effort during the launch was minimal, because I knew the system so well and any data needed, I had already built tools years ago for extracting/manipulating it.

My value (and effort), was seen as high from upper management. I also learned to schedule teams, slack, and email messages accordingly. Even if I get something done very fast, I can easily manipulate the perception around it.


I think perceived effort can be a positive or a negative. When you are starting you want to make it clear you are a hard worker. After that, no one cares and its better to look like you can easily handle what you are doing. No one promotes the person who is working really hard at the level below.


Well it's a goldilocks situation isn't it? No one promotes the person below who appears to be effortlessly coasting either.


> Simple... Do what others cannot to deliver success to the internal goals of the business.

This is not simple at all:

1. The "things which others cannot" are, typically, not the tasks you are given. So you would be neglecting the work you've been actually given to work on other things which you believe are important.

2. Things which people can't do are typically considered as irrelevant-to-do, and thus not a goal. When you do those things, it is likely that their positive impact is not recognized by most people.


And the big one...

-3. Other people (mostly above you) will steal your glory and call it their own.


It is astonishingly simple, but it isn't easy. Not everybody is willing to do the research and practice outside the job to make it easy.


Simply be valuable. A child's game.




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