In a perfect world you go to work and you are an engaged employee, sometimes doing the little extras that help you and your coworkers to excel.  In reality, different people exert different levels of effort at work for numerous reasons.  In a work environment, this creates a situation where not everyone is applying themselves at the same level and this usually impacts the balance of work load and it can influence results.

Years ago I came across a basic formula for success that suggests that effort, skill level and opportunity can lead to success.   Effort is supported by your drive and drive is what keeps you pushing toward your goal no matter how challenging or impossible circumstances appear to be.  Drive is about your determination.  

Your skill level also plays an integral part in your level of effort.  If a skill comes naturally to you, your level of effort will seem low or even nonexistent to some.  In the success formula, skill can be substituted with talent.   If you are working in an area that brings out your talent, if your environment is supportive, your drive may be high.  As you know, a high level of talent isn’t always linked to drive and many employers spend time encouraging talented employees to realize their potential but the employees have no drive.  In cases like this, unless the employee becomes intrinsically motivated, the potential you perceive as an employer will not be realized.

For some people, motivation is extrinsic.  You may be motivated by what people think about you or what they expect of you.  This can lead to fear as a driver because of your need to please.  For others, you are motivated intrinsically by your personal goals, values and purpose.  What others think about you doesn’t impact your effort or your commitment levels.  Your effort is primarily a product of your internal drivers.

You can encounter a variety of levels of effort in a work environment:

• Zero Effort: There some of you who are either lazy or disinterested in your jobs because you have been continuously overlooked or you are in the wrong job or because you didn’t want the job in the first place.  You may come to work, you may not.  Your results are below average and you really don’t care about your productivity or how your lack of effort impacts the rest of the team. 
• Minimal Effort:  There are others of you who decide to appear to be exerting minimal effort but you are only spinning wheels either because you are in a role that is beyond your capacity or because you are demotivated by dynamics within your work environment. 
• Average Effort:  Some of you can do the job but you exert a controlled amount of effort.  You do just enough to obtain a satisfactory performance rating. 
• Above Average and Exceptional Effort:  Above average effort demonstrates commitment, drive and focus.  Above average and exceptional effort may lead to different types of reward and recognition that may culminate in a promotion, or it may lead to intensified political tricks within the work environment.  For some people, they exert maximum effort but because they are not talented in that area, their results are not aligned with their level of effort.

It is important to note that effort isn’t always an indicator of results because there is always diversity in individual skill sets and skill levels.  If your skill level is advanced, a low level of effort can achieve strong results.   If you are one of those people who is always trying really hard but your efforts do not produce the kinds of results you expect, you may want rethink your career goals.

Obstacles to Effort

There are a number of situations that can create barriers to effort:

• Low skill levels can lead to frustration because of high levels of effort and a lack of desired results.  After experiencing repeated disappointment, effort levels may diminish.
• Highly political environments can cause you to lower your level of effort because you don’t want to become the target of jealous or insecure coworkers.
• There are some environments where the resources necessary for your performance are just not available.  Resources can range from human resources to technology to stationery.
• Some of you feel you are in a hopeless situation because you perceive that if you exert effort you won’t be recognized and if you don’t exert effort you won’t be recognized.  Externally, this could be due to a highly politicized environment, unfair practices or ineffective leadership.  Or it may be due to a skill deficiency.

When someone starts a new job it is unclear at first how much effort is just the right amount.  In your recruitment interview, your new employer may emphasize results or say they are looking for a change and when you start working, the people in your environment resist the changes you suggest.  They say no to your ideas or they make life difficult for you, giving you only a fraction of the information you need.  In a new role, it is suggested that you seek to learn the power structures of your work environment as a first step so that you can understand how to navigate the political land mines. 

There are times employees approach me and say that they work so hard so they feel entitled to recognition or a promotion.  What they fail to realize is that numerous work environments are cutting costs and this usually translates into doing more with less resources.  So it is the norm that employees are working harder and so the only way to differentiate themselves in an environment where hard work is not a differentiating factor is to work smarter.  This means finding new ways to improve your performance levels by increasing your value. 

As you can see, effort alone is not a predictor of your success.  Effort, skill and opportunity pave the way to success.  I would suggest there a fourth predictive component of success.  It is a type of skill but it needs to be highlighted.  This fourth predictive skill is Emotional Intelligence.  Emotional Intelligence is about understanding right timing, managing yourself and difficult situations, choosing optimism and understanding the consequences of your actions.  Emotional Intelligence can help you to differentiate yourself and can ultimately lead to recognition of your effort.

Yvette Bethel is CEO of Organizational Soul, an HR Consulting and Leadership Development company.  If you are interested in exploring how you can create higher performing team leaders, you contact her at www.orgsoul.com.