Ask HN: How to do you build strong work ethics? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How to do you build strong work ethics?

I want to change my relationship with work. The couple of things I am in particular interested in are:

- Developing strong work ethics

- Being as valuable to my team and company as much I can be (in reasonable range)

What I have read (from Atomic Habits in particular), the change requires a change in how we see ourselves. I think there is a good amount of truth in it.

I have seen myself as someone who gets D or C grades in their studies would do.

James Clear suggests the change comes up with consistently doing what "this newer person" would do. They act as votes on our new identity. ----------------

I want to know about your experience. Another way to form this question would be to know your experience (direct/ indirect) from being a low performer to a high performer.

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My best advice would be on two fronts that mutually benefit each other:

1. Start taking pride in what you do. This isn't just work, but everything. You'll slowly start becoming someone (at work) who doesn't want to demo something "meh" because you'll be embarrassed. If you take pride in your work, everyone else will too, because it'll be good.

2. Realize that what you do isn't for the company; it's for your fellow teammates. They depend on you. If you are late with your work, produce shoddy work, etc. then they can't get their stuff done. They miss time away from their family because they are cleaning up after you or working around your short-comings. You do your best to help them, and in-turn they'll do the same for you.

Both of these will apply to any job you have and any position. Anyway, a strong work ethic is a symptom, not a solution. Do the above and the two things you wanted will fall into place.

The only time the above can be tricky is if you have one of those "thankless" jobs. These are almost always behind-the-scenes people who make everyone else's job possible, but people rarely think about them (think janitors and IT). With those jobs it really pays to be a strong self-motivator and work for a company where those jobs are recognized for the contributions they provide.

Definitly pride. Pride in knowing you did the best job you can do, even in, and especially in, cases where you get no recognition and perhaps no one even knows.

Our work ethic is on show not when we only ask "what is in this for me?" It's on show when we do a meaningless task well, when we make a quiet improvement that goes unnoticed - when we don't seek credit for every single action.

If you have personal pride in what you do, and even though much of what you do is not seen, it flows through to what is seen. It manifests in things like being on time for meetings - helping to set up or clean up - being generous giving credit to others, and generous taking blame and admiting to mistakes.

Ironically people quietly notice these character attributes, and they want to work with you. Your stature grows and "fame and fortune" follow. Not because you sought those out but because you didn't.

Pride in yourself also tells you when you are in a toxic environment, and when it's time to move on because all those around you have none.

Give more than you receive. Help your peers, help an adjacent team, help recruiting. Efforts and Time are within your control to dispense. The ability to care for a product / company beyond the work/pay trade, to be vested in the product's success, the learnt skill to obsess over the minute details and to suggest improvements in features or processes - your past grades have nothing to do with these traits. Any / most of these dimensions would make you a valued team member.

You have to work on the emotional feedback loops. People are suggesting to take pride in what you do. That's a great idea. You get an emotional buzz finishing something you're proud of. If you find yourself frustrated by your work place because you can't do things to the best of your abilities, then move on. That will strangle your ability to work hard and put in 100%.

I don't think you can build this as a habit. This comes from a deeper level.

For me, I've always believed that wealth comes from God. Hard work is a form of respect given, to honor that. To me, working is sort of a religious act, like an offering or prayer. One of the main differences is that I'm willing to work really hard even when not paid well or acknowledged, because I believe the rewards for it are indirect.

I would first evaluate if improved work effort will benefit you. Will you get a promotion and raise? Is it a reasonable trade off for the lost personal time, life memories, and sacrifice of non-work life goals?

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