Thread by @stevemagness

To achieve almost anything, you need to work hard.

But what if you aren't achieving, is it because you aren't working hard enough?

Does hard work separate those who make it and those who don't?

THREAD on hard work, deliberate practice, and how much it matters for performance:

First, hard work obviously matters. It leads to improvement in just about anything. But here's where we mess up:

We confuse hard work aiding in our own improvement, with hard work separating us from others. Meaning, does hard work/practice differentiate how much success we have?

After all, that's the story we are so often told. Work hard enough, practice more, and if we do so, we'll achieve our goals.

It's the lesson we're taught in sport, schools, entrepreneurship, and so-called 'tough' love self-help. But is it true?

Short answer…No…

Take the classic idea of deliberate practice (i.e. focused, intense work) as the key differentiator to performance. This has been bastardized to mean 10,000 hours to expertise, which isn't what it's claiming, but let's look at the research.

In a 2014 analysis, researchers found that deliberate practice explained the following % of variance in performance:

24% for games
23% for music
20% for sport
5% for education
1% for business
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24986855/

In a follow-up study, when looking at sport performance, researchers found that 18% of the variation in performance was explained by deliberate practice.

However, when looking at elite athletes, it only accounted for 1%.
Why? Nearly everyone is working hard at the elite level

Everyone is "in the club"

Hard work might take you from JV to High School Varsity, but if you're on an NCAA D1 track team, just about everyone who sticks around is working incredibly hard. The difference between the 1st and 500th best athlete in terms of effort is negligible.

Again, no one is dismissing the value of hard work. In most areas it's necessary. It absolutely helps YOU improve.

But the question is...does it separate those who make it, does it explain the differences between people?

Not really.

And that's an important distinction, and its a more hopeful message.

Working hard helps you get better. BUT stop using it as some moralistic signal for success.

Hard work does NOT guarantee success/achievement. It doesn't explain or differentiate very well.

Telling the meritocracy story that hard work is nearly ALL that separates those who make it and those who don't is an appealing story.

It allows us to explain success or failure with something we can control.

It makes those who have achieved feel better about their success.

We reduce the complexity of success to something straightforward (i.e., hard work). It might be well-intentioned, but when we leave out all the messiness of luck, talent, opportunity, etc. it sends a false message.

It also creates a narrative that if you aren't achieving, you must not be working hard enough. Instead of helping us search for the real answer for why we might not be practicing.

The entrepreneurial and self-help gurus sell this message of hard work being all that matters

The point being, we absolutely should celebrate hard work. We should push it for improvement of our self. To reach YOUR potential.

But as the explainer for those who make it and those who don't? Not so much.

So what's the takeaway?
1. Hard work gets you in the club. It gives you a chance. But it doesn't explain much of the difference between people's performance.
2. Stop moralizing success, failure, and hard work.

Hard work is necessary for you to achieve your potential in whatever endeavor you are pursuing. But it doesn't differentiate your success/failure when compared to others.

Most people work pretty dang hard, especially at things they care about or are necessary.

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