Is Your Work Ethic Working for You?

Hard-working. Reliable. Conscientious. Committed. Dependable.

I come from a family of workaholics, and these were the values that underpinned my upbringing. I grew up believing that having a good work ethic meant doing whatever was needed to get the job done. And don’t get me wrong, I still believe there’s real value in being reliable, dependable and conscientious.

When I was younger and starting out, I worked all hours. I had very few personal boundaries and little awareness of the cost to my health and wellbeing. Like many others, that version of “work ethic” eventually caught up with me, particularly when I added young children and family life into the mix.

Over the years, and through meeting plenty of people in the coaching space who are burnt out by their own work ethic, I’ve come to see it differently.

Working hard isn’t the problem. The problem is working hard without enough awareness of ourselves, our needs and the choices we’re making.

A healthy work ethic needs emotional intelligence alongside it.

• How well do you know yourself?

• Where are your boundaries and red lines?

• What are the early signs that you’re beginning to cross them?

I’ve done a lot of work on my boundaries over the years, but they still start to blur when I’m not paying attention. Especially when the people pleaser in me takes over.

It’s something I have to keep noticing and practising. I have to remind myself that it’s possible to..

·       Work hard and have personal boundaries.

·       Be dependable and still say no.

·       Care deeply about our work and care for ourselves too.

A good work ethic isn’t measured by how much of ourselves we’re willing to sacrifice.

• It’s about the quality and integrity we bring to our work, rather than the number of hours we put in.

• It’s taking responsibility and keeping our commitments, whilst also being honest about our capacity.

• It’s knowing when to lean in and go the extra mile, and when the cost of doing so is becoming too high.

  
  

• It’s being dependable without being endlessly available.

• It’s understanding that saying no, asking for help or renegotiating a deadline doesn’t mean we care less. Sometimes it means we’re paying closer attention.

What does a healthy and sustainable work ethic look like to you?