Work ethic - is a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character.
Intelligence - the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience.
Which of those 3 terms is the most important? Does it matter what they are being applied to that makes the difference?
Why might I ask that? Because as I finally took some time to rest over the holiday, I watched a bit of television and spoke to people around the country. I heard several people complain about their work/pay. I heard several tell me how they intend to be stars. I noticed how much attention is focused on individuals in the media. And I realized that almost everyone had no idea about the above 3 items.
Of the 3, I have noticed that most people work on talent. Especially African Americans and minorities. It’s the E-ticket that gets you on all the rides. It’s the get-out-of-the-ghetto card. It’s the single most important factor ever. And it’s a lie.
Talent is like hope in Pandora’s Box. Perhaps the worst thing to afflict people en masse. It’s a tool that far too many without it use to become rich.
When I mention talent, most think of Michael Jordan or Snoop Dogg. They imagine Beyonce or 50 cent. But you don’t hear people say that Oprah Winfrey has talent (not speaking about her acting, but her ability as CEO of Harpo) or John Thompson, Myrtle Potter, Stanley O'Neal, Kenneth Chenault. Why not?
What about intelligence? You never hear that mentioned. You never hear anyone ask Ja Rule, Dr. Dre, Kobe Bryant, or Tiger Woods if/where they went to college. Because they have talent right?
And work ethics are likely the least discussed item of all. It’s like a plague when it is mentioned.
But when you consider the real successes, the people that really are meaningful and at the top of their game you find, more often than not, that they got their with this combination:
- 1. Work ethic
- 2. Intelligence
- 3. Talent (if any)
Best in the NBA? Michael Jordan. Practiced constantly, played with a 103 fever, and gave 110% every game. Mr. Jordan is a college graduate, and a better businessman than sports entertainer. While he may have made roughly 15 million dollars a year as an athlete, Mr. Jordan makes roughly 2x that a year now, with a net worth well in excess of $200 million, without ever touching a basketball.
Much the same can be said of Spike Lee, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey and most every CEO that the average public couldn’t name if you paid them $50 a name. Each of them worked hard, every day with a plan in their heads. Each of them had an advanced education. Allowing them to understand business, contracts, money management and more.
If you want to know the difference between real success and a fad, look at the work ethic and education. 50 cent will be lucky to be around in 5 years, odds are. Tiger, Oprah, Michael Jordan, Stanley O'Neal, Kenneth Chenault, and others will be making money years after they are dead by contrast. And more of it.
So if you want to know how to become successful, there you are. Make a plan, work at it every day and get an education. If you have a talent you will just help boost your odds. But if you think that you bounce a ball, hum a tune, or sashay better than anyone and that’s all you need, be prepared to be let down.
Only 1 in 10,000 make it to professional level sports, even worse odds to make it in music or acting (how many people get rejected in the first 3 qualifiers of American Idol every year?). A professional entertainer has a career of maybe 7 years, regardless of the realm. Why limit your chances? Why give someone else the upper hand?
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