This is my second principle. It is one we’ve all heard about one-million times. It is even cliché in many ways. We have so many things we do every day, how do we expect that we will be able to give 100% effort to all of it (the discussion on multi-tasking is one I’ll save for another day, or let you do your own research). There is more to the idea of giving 100% however, than the, often, short-sighted thought or view-point we give to it.
Most of us apply this principle automatically to the things we are passionate about; the things we care about personally and the things which will give us measurable gains in some area of our lives. If we know or expect we realize some gains from our endeavors, we give extreme effort toward the conduct of our business.
Here is the principle in application. What we have to do is ensure we are applying a deliberate decision-making process to every task we are given. Here is the process I use. Ask yourself the following questions:
1. “Is this worth 100% of my effort?” If the answers lead to “yes, this is worth doing,” then give it 100% of your effort. If “no,” then ask the following question.
2. “Is there a good reason to do it?” If the answer “yes, there is a good reason,” then give it 100% of your effort. If “no,” move on to next, tougher question.
3. “Why am I doing this, is it even worth doing?” Often, if we reach this point in the decision process, we have to actually start asking outside sources. We often have to go to the person asking us to accomplish the task and ask them the questions. Sometimes we have to challenge our superiors on the tasks they’ve given us. If the reasoning can be explained and you are convinced it is worth your time, then give it 100%.
We always have to ask ourselves if things are worth doing. If we can’t think of a reason, then we have to ask our superiors the tough questions and seek clarification. We need the clarification in order to give the appropriate amount of effort to the appropriate tasks.
The bottom line I’m trying to get after with this principle is we can’t do everything, but anything we do should be to the absolute best of our abilities. Giving the appropriate amount of effort (100%), ensures we are getting our work done to standard and builds trust in ourselves and between us and our subordinates, peers, superiors, friends, and family.
