Online Reporter
Rutendo Gwatidzo-Changing Perspectives
Generally Zimbabweans are known for working hard. We hustle, till the land, sell something and push boundaries just to earn a living.
But, due to harsh economic conditions, a good number of people work very hard for little and others to no avail. Sadly, somewhere along the way, others started confusing activity with achievement.
Clapping of hands started to be done for people who are busy, not necessarily those who are producing results.
Eggs are not chickens!
Let’s face it like it is, an egg is not a chicken. It carries potential, yes, but until it hatches, it remains only that — potential. Effort works the same way. You can plan, work and sweat but, until your effort births a visible result, the work is not yet complete.
The effort trap!
Across Zimbabwe, generally many people are caught in what I call the effort trap. We love to say, “At least I tried.” But, the fact still remains, trying is not the same as succeeding. For instance, You can plant maize faithfully, but if there is no harvest, your efforts can go to waste. The rain may fall, but, if the field isn’t prepared, you will still have nothing to reap.
A teacher may spend months preparing lessons, but if learners fail dismally, the effort doesn’t meet the goal. The learners may even change schools even if the infrastructure is attractive.
Likewise, a businessperson may attend every expo, post on social media daily, and hand out fliers, but, if sales are not growing, the activity has not produced fruit.
The Challenge – Organisational Status!
One of the hot challenges in our workplaces is that we often celebrate busyness instead of impact. We see people “always in meetings,” yet no projects move forward. Interestingly, you find management for instance, expecting to be acknowledged for holding strategic meetings on regular basis, yet they do not produce desired results. Many employees have fallen into the comfort zone of loving and settling for the process without the product. Yet, the equation should balance – process must produce product. Think about it!
How many projects have been launched with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, but to no avail. We write strategies that gather dust, yet, with promises to work on it. An idea, no matter how powerful, remains an egg until it hatches into results. There is a difference between motion and progress, be challenged to focus on the later.
Moving from eggs to chicken is like a woman for example, who started baking from home. She didn’t stop at effort, she tracked her profits, learned packaging, registered her business, and now supplies local supermarkets. That is what moving from effort to results means.
Results earn respect!
Results are powerful, they speak more than words do. With results you do not need to convince much, in most cases, you simply need to show them, and the rest is history.
Be inspired to present results, not just motion. Imagine this, If a football team trains hard, but never wins a match, how many people get to celebrate the training? If a seemingly big project consumes millions, but never delivers, the people lose confidence.
The deadly illness!
One of the greatest challenges in the corporate world is that employees and management alike have become too comfortable in being paid for attempts instead of performance, and the culture illness continues to grow, dominant and kill businesses.
Let’s be real!
Have you ever seen learners in schools who graduate for trying? It is results only that matter.
So yes, respect effort because it leads to results, but don’t glorify it until it produces something tangible. Effort without results is like chasing wind. Learn to pause often times, evaluate, adapt, and measure your actions in order to produce results.
The entrepreneur who studies the market before expanding, the student who reviews past papers instead of just reading randomly, the church that measures impact instead of attendance, are examples of smart effort that lead to visible outcomes.
Celebrate the chicken, not the egg!
Be inspired to focus more on celebrating the delivery instead of the launch. Let’s not praise the effort more than evidence and stop making more noise about “coming soon”, instead of “now available.” Step out of effort to results, from process to product and from eggs to chickens.
Always remember!
Keep the hustle. Respect the grind. But don’t confuse activity with achievement. Stand the tallest when your hard work finally bears fruit and when your egg hatches into a chicken.
Rutendo Gwatidzo is a human capital Executive as managing consultant at The HUB HR Consultancy. She is a multi-award winning leader, speaker and coach. She is also an author of Born to Fight and Breaking the Silence books. Contact details – 0714575805/ [email protected] / Rutendo Gwatidzo_Official FB public page.
