YES... it is all about the EFFORT.

Happy Friday.  It seems I've been called out on my views of a particular subject - Efforts vs. Results. I made a statement earlier in the week that went something like this....   It is my opinion that if you put forth the effort, results will follow.  So, let me just place it all in writing so everyone knows my humbled opinion on this particular topic.

 I am a true believer in effort.   I believe that effort catupaults results and that without it, you have no results.   I am a firm believer in setting goals... something to focus your efforts toward.   I also believe that with every ounce of effort you put into something success will find you two fold.  Over the course of my 25 years of experience, I've had the opportunity to manage a lot of individuals.   Some made tremendous effort and reaped the rewards.  Some who made very little and well... they didn't last very long at their job.    I am a big believer of focusing on effort and trying to help individuals understand that with it, you will see results.   I don't ever want to look back over my life and say that I didn't praise someone for their effort.   If they truly gave it their heart and soul, then they have achieved results of some kind.  

Effort is the one defining point of you as an individual.   It shows your ability, it shows your determination, it shows your passion, it shows your motivation, it shows your desire.... and in the end, it will show you results.   You cannot get discouraged just because you don't always see quantifiable results every single time.   What would life be without the challenge of putting forth effort time and time again to get results? 

What exactly is effort? 

1  

exertion of physical or mental power: It will take great effort to achieve victory.

2.

an earnest or strenuous attempt: an effort to keep to the schedule.

3.

something done by exertion or hard work: I thought it would be easy, but it was an effort.

4.

an achievement, as in literature or art: The painting is one of his finest efforts.

5.

the amount of exertion expended for a specified purpose: the war effort.

I truly believe that every activity has a series of steps (effort) that is needed for results to happen.  When going into a project or objective, it is always good to identify the most critical and direct steps.  Get organized and have a plan, but put forth the effort required.   In doing so, the results will happen and once they do, you will begin to see that identifying your steps and learning how to focus your effort will create the desire results needed or wanted. 

I've never been a person to focus on the results as part of training or as part of becoming successful.   I use the results as my goal or my reward, showing that with great effort, this is what can be obtained.  I do believe that results should be used as a motivator for the effort, but that the focus is entirely placed on the effort.   If you focus on results... completely, then, you're missing out on the most important part of success.  What did it take to get those results?

 The worst thing that you can do to someone is to take away when they are truly trying... they have put their steps in place and they are making the effort.   The reality is... sometimes, you don't always reach your goal or reward on the first attempt.   The great thing about effort is that if something is NOT working... you re-group, change your steps until you find the right ones that get you to the result.  

Focusing on effort also allows you an opportunity to really see whats important,    In your employees, your projects, your business, school, etc.   If you are going to launch a new social media campaign... its going to take effort.  You need to come up with steps and a focus for your effort to get to your end result.  What is it you hope to accomplish?   What effort will it take to get there?   Along the way... you may see that some of your steps need "tweaking"... does this mean that everything you've put in to this point... is wasted?  NO.  It means, that while putting forth the effort to accomplish a particular task, you learn what works or doesn't but every effort made will yield some kind of result.  

The other problem is whether you believe it or not, when working hard and putting forth the effort, you actually are getting results.   You are learning how to maximize those efforts with every set back you may have and every time you put forth effort you do yield some kind of result.   You have to always have a great attitude in life... and you have to focus on the process (the effort put forth), not the results.  (Sorta like saying... don't put the cart before the horse.)  I've seen people who are greedy and they focused entirely on the results.   They feel if they don't get the outcome, then they weren't successful.   They feel the need to quanitify success by results.  Part of becoming successful is going through the steps and not all successes have quanitfiable results.  Every effort we put forth in making a business grow, is part of yielding a result.  Every effort we put forth in a relationship is building it.  Helping it develop and become all that it can be.

As managers or leaders, it is our responsiblity to re-group when efforts don't provide the results wanted.   Sometimes, a particular task may need a different set of steps.  It is not our roles to take away the pride of someones effort and tell them it was for nothing.

Results can only happen when effort is put forth.   If you go to work or school every single day and put forth your best effort, you WILL get results.   If you are playing any type of sport, and go out every single time and put forth effort, you WILL get results.   If you go through your every day life putting forth effort, your life will see results. 

What exactly is results?

–noun

3.

something that happens as a consequence; outcome.

4.

Mathematics . a quantity, expression, etc., obtained by calculation.

5.

Often, results. a desirable or beneficial consequence, outcome, or effect: We had definite results within weeks.

—Idiom

6.

get results, to obtain a notable or successful result or response; be effective

Negative results are always hard to take in business and even in our personal lives.  We want what we want... when we want it.   Many times from my own experience, I have found that the reason for negative results is that we tend to complicate a simple task, or we don't follow our steps, or simply put, we don't understand the task so its really hard to put forth the effort needed to accomplish results.  I have also found that I have learned more from my own negative results although the positive ones certainly pay much better.  I've always tried to believe that everything happens for a reason and that the glass is half full... and with that attitude, I've taken the negative results as an opportunity to re-evaluate processes or steps, not only for myself and others, but for the company.  

I really believe that if you focus on EFFORT and not results, you will find success.  i never said that you wouldn't experience set-backs or have to re-define your efforts from time to time, because you will and probably more than once.  You may not always see the results you want or need, but, these set-backs often help you in understanding how to achieve success in a different way.   Don't put results before effort or try and make the result the most important factor.   A business is built upon effort, of not just one person but many and those combined efforts are what achieves results and ultimately success.   

So, to defend an earlier statement I made this week... YES, it is all about the EFFORT and I will stand by it over and over again.  Again, its my humbled opinion and in life, that's one thing we are all entitled to have without parameters.