Is a good work ethic enough?

BACKGROUND

I used to think that you can achieve anything if you have a good work ethic. Now I am not so sure. I have never consciously defined to myself what a good work ethic looks like but I tended to know it when I see it. However, I met someone recently who has what I will describe as good work ethic but I am not sure if he can achieve his objectives without 'something else'. I will use this medium to explore why good work ethic may not be enough and identify what that extra 'something' is that will help achieve desired personal objectives.

WHAT IS A GOOD WORK ETHIC?

The question of what constitutes a good work ethic is something I have never considered. Is it a nebulous concept? The following comments comes to mind when I think about a good work ethic:

1. Being prepared to work for your daily 'bread'.

2. Nothing great is achieved through laziness

3. If I work hard for something, the outcome is infinitely more satisfying.

4. Work is something we may not want but whilst we have to do it, we should do it well to the best of our ability.

5. Everything I have (which may not be much), I have worked hard for.

6. Having a good work ethics means being honest with yourself about work.

I will now proceed to consider what other commentators on work ethic have written on the subject:

• Wikipedia describes a work ethic as a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence...(and) may include being reliable, having initiative or maintaining social skills [ 1 ]. This entry in Wikipedia had to be qualified because of what it terms 'weasel words' which may (or maynot) compromise the article's quality.

• A commentator on work ethics described it to include 'not only how one feels about their job, career or vocation, but also how one does his/her job or responsibilities. This involves attitude, behavior, respect, communication, and interaction; how one gets along with others. Work ethics demonstrate many things about whom and how a person is' [ 2 ].

• Another commentator on work ethics stated the following:
  
  The so-called work ethic is generally construed to be a good and laudable thing. It fancies itself a virtue, but like most double-edged swords, it must be handled with care.
  
  An ethic, by definition, is a set of moral principles. The word derives from the Greek ethos -- which in turn is “the characteristic spirit or attitudes of a community, people, or system.” Applying work as a modifier, suggests that the work ethic is a characteristic attitude of a group toward what constitutes the morality of work.This can, unfortunately, be taken to extremes [ 3 ].

I will conclude here that the subject of work ethics polarises opinion. This is probably due to the hijack of the topic by 2 distincts groups: i) Those that want to do nothing; and ii) Those that want something tantamount to slave labour. However, for everyone else, there is something valuable to be said for a good work ethic. What looks good to me may be different from what looks good to you. However, if we are to work together, we must agree on what good looks like. I have no doubt that good work ethic remain a valuable tool for achieving your desired objectives but why am I coming to the realisation that this may not be enough?

IS GOOD WORK ETHIC ENOUGH?

If we assume that a good work ethics means simply that you are hard working, then this is not enough to achieve your personal objectives. If however, we broaden the definition of a good work ethic to include hard working and choosing the right attitude, right behaviour, respect of self and others and choosing appropriate communication and interaction with colleagues, then achieving personal objectives is very possible.

What do I think?

Well I will agree with the broader definition of good work ethic and will therefore stay with my original belief that a good work ethic is integral to achieving a personal objective which is lasting. And that there is no need to search for that special 'something' to complement a good work ethic.

In the case of the person I met recently, I mistook being hard working to be equivalent to having a good work ethic. And being hard working is definitely not enough.

Not my kind of victory!

Sorry to use this medium to express my innermost thoughts about the kind of week I have had. As I sit here with a glass of my Argentinian Chardonnay, let us call it therapy!

For obvious reasons, I cannot go into any details. However, I say this: If someone ask you to give up what is rightfully yours, he damn well must be willing to negotiate and compromise! If, however, he uses his position to get his way, then he might loose something greater in the process.

This is Pyrrhic victory...he won the battle but lost the war...alas, not my kind of victory.

My eBay adventure - 2nd instalment

'By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail' - Benjamin Franklin (from Brain Quote).

As I embark on my 'cyberventure' into eBay, I clearly haven't prepared. Normally before I embark on something like this I will do some ground work. In this case I will search Google (and any of the other major search engines) and blog sites to see what problems other people have had with eBay in order that I may avoid some of the pitfalls. I might even want to see if there are sites out there which offer better services. No, No, No..not this time! I will just dive straight in - after all I have to clear my loft (and fast!).

What is eBay anyway?

A site that helps you sell?
An auction site (I am indifferent to auctions - maybe because I have never partaken in one before)?
A merchant?

Well eBay claim to be: 'The World's Online Marketplace®, enabling trade on a local, national and international basis. With a diverse and passionate community of individuals and small businesses, eBay offers an online platform where millions of items are traded each day.' That sounds great to me...

Will keep you posted on how I'm getting on...

[amendment: It is 'eBay' not 'e-bay' - what do I know?]

Children's Mutilation by our Canine friends - Will somebody do something?

Yet another case of an innocent child being killed by a dog ! Over the last 6 months in the UK, there has been a number of reports of children being killed by dogs (1, 2). Although cases of this nature has occurred in the past, anecdotal evidence may suggest that this is an increasing trend! Why then is someone not doing anything about it?

From a rational standpoint, the actions of 4 main actors might have contributed to these tragedies: The dog, its owner, the child and his/her parent(s). In all the above cases the children were less than 5 years old. It is therefore unreasonable to lay the blame on the children. What about the other actors?

The Dogs

Undoubtedly some breeds of dogs are more aggressive than others. The following are the breed of dogs which caused the mutilations in some of the cases: Rottweilers (x2 cases) and Bull Terrier (x2 cases). The strengthening of the Dangerous Dogs Act may now be required, although the DogsTrust may disagree.

The Owners

The owners of these dogs must shoulder a significant responsibility for these unfortunate incidents. It has been suggested that the lack of appropriate care for these animals has contributed to these attacks (3, 4). A mandatory custodial sentence must be considered for owners who has demonstrated a stark lack of onus.

The Parents

As a young parent myself, I will avoid putting my baby in an environment where this is likely to happen. Most parents will act responsibly but these tragedies are sometimes unavoidable. As long the parents have taken reasonable steps, then there is nothing more to say.

What is not excusable is the irresponsible owners of a dangerous dogs with small children. These group of owners must be sent to jail and the keys thrown away...

An e-bay account setup - How hard can it be?

I consider myself to be IT savvy, but the e-bay 'thing' passed me by. I just wasn't interested. Too much hype, I thought.

Well, as part of my new year resolution, I wish to get rid of a number of stuff with minimum fuss. I don't have too much time, so I am devoting a day to get all my gear on e-bay - how hard could it be? It will have to be done with military precision.

The critical factors for me are:

1. Time it takes to get the stuff online
2. Time it takes to sell the stuff

I hope e-bay will live up to the hype and deliver. I will be starting on a blank canvass i.e. read all the online instructions etc. I'll let you know how I get on.

Surely if I am disappointed, it will neither be because I am a technology novice nor because I am selling the wrong sets of goods...