Beyond Insurance

Building a strong work ethic

This trait can move mountains—or cloud our perspective

By Scott Addis

A strong work ethic is a set of values based on commitment and diligence. It is also a belief in the moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance one’s character

The Four D’s of a Strong Work Ethic

The characteristics of a strong work ethic can be described as the Four D’s:

Desire: How important is it that you accomplish your mission or goals?

Dedication: Turning desire into action requires lasting commitment. How dedicated are you to your goals and dreams?

Determination: This represents the intensity with which you are dedicated to the accomplishment of your goals.

Discipline: Discipline is action-oriented. It involves deciding how you will go about achieving your goals by staying with that strategy.

A number of years ago, I had a meeting with a Dutch client.

Our conversation moved to the concept of a strong work ethic. As I proudly defended the importance of hard work and 50-plus-hour work weeks, he seemed perplexed. While he readily admitted that desire, dedication, determination and discipline were vital ingredients of success in the workplace, he stressed the importance of balance. In the 15 nations of the European Union, by law, all full-time employees must be given a minimum of four weeks’ paid vacation per year; the same is true for part-time employees who have worked for at least 13 weeks. Let’s compare this to the United States.

Counting shorter work weeks and longer vacations, the average European receives nine weeks (350 hours) more free time per year than Americans, according to The Simplicity Forum.

Since emerging in the late 1970s, the concept of “work-life balance” increasingly has gained acceptance among both employees and employers. Changing economic and social dynamics have underlined the need to consider employees’ personal responsibilities as well as the requirements of employers. Studies have shown that employees who work excessively long hours are likely to experience higher levels of stress and cognitive impairment.

Historical perspective

Interestingly, the high value placed on having a strong work ethic is a relatively recent develop­ment. For much of history, the concept has had a negative connotation.

The Greeks viewed work as a curse. The Greek word for work was ponos, taken from the Latin poena, which means “sorrow.” The Greeks believed that a person’s wisdom and morality were directly proportional to the amount of time he or she devoted to leisure. A person who worked when there was no need to do so was considered to be blurring the line between slave and master. The philosopher Aristotle viewed work as a corrupt waste of time that would make a citizen’s pursuit of virtue more difficult.

The Romans adopted a similar belief system. For the Romans, work was to be done by slaves. In both the Greek and Roman cultures, social status was related to the work a person did. Any pursuit of handicrafts or the use of one’s arms was considered vulgar, dishonorable and beneath the dignity of a Roman citizen.

The fall of the Roman Empire marked the beginning of the Middle Ages (approximately A.D. 400 to A.D. 1400). During this time, work still held no intrinsic value. The sole purpose of work was to meet the physical needs of one’s family. Although work was frowned upon, wealth was regarded as an opportunity to share with those less fortunate.

As a result of the political and religious upheaval in Western Europe in the 16th century, a new perspective on work evolved. It was believed that people could serve God through their work, that professions were useful, and that work was the universal foundation of society. It was accepted that the kind of work people did depended on their social class. People were expected to work diligently in an occupation that was appropriate for the class into which they were born and were not to aspire to a trade or profession that was above their station.

Two key leaders influenced the development of the western culture during this period: Martin Luther and John Calvin. For Luther, a person’s vocation was his “calling.” Calvin taught that all men must work, even the rich. People were encouraged to select an occupation and pursue it to achieve the greatest possible profit.

Looking for Eden

The early adventurers who discovered America were searching, not for a place to work and build a new land, but for a new Eden where abundance and riches would allow them to follow Aristotle’s view of the world. However, this mindset quickly changed as the New England Puritans and the Pennsylvania Quakers settled in America. Both brought to the new land the belief that life was to be dedicated to hard work and self-determination. They approached the task of building a new world in the wilderness as an opportunity to prove their own moral worth.

When Europeans visited the New World in the early 1800s, they were astounded by Americans’ strong work ethic. By the mid-19th century, the idea of work as a calling had been replaced by the concept of public usefulness. People were led to believe that poverty and decay would befall the country if people failed to demonstrate a positive work ethic. It was the social duty of every person to be productive. It was also believed that one could master his or her own fate through determination and discipline.

The New World’s work ethic made a strong case for work, but the negative connotations of work have come to the fore in the past three decades through the discussion of work-life balance.

The traditional American work ethic, although still valued and practiced by many, is no longer the economic and social backbone of the country. Ironically, at a time when personal and family priorities are increasingly being recognized as valid and worthwhile, the troubled economy is forcing people to work longer and harder so they can keep their jobs and homes.

Insecurity, inequality and the competitive nature of the U.S. marketplace are pushing us to work harder than ever. As you move ahead in your career, it is important that you consider the pluses and minuses of the traditional American work ethic. Is it a conviction that moves mountains or clouds one’s perspective on life—or does it fall somewhere in between? n

The author
Scott Addis, CPCU, is president/CEO of The Addis Group and Addis Intellectual Capital, LLC (AIC), a coaching and consulting company whose purpose is to transform the process that insurance agents, brokers and carriers use when working with their clients. Scott can be reached at saddis@beyondinsurance.com or (610) 945-1019.