QUOTATION 19

ANDREW CARNEGIE ON INVESTING 100 PER CENT OF YOUR ENERGY IN YOUR CAREER

Use this to remind you that 75 per cent effort isn’t enough if you want to excel.

Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), one of the greatest nineteenth-century century American industrialists, did not rise from the poverty of a one-room weaver’s cottage in Dunfermline to international renown by investing only part of his energy in his work.

The average person puts about 25 per cent of his [sic] energy into his work. The world takes its hat off to those who put more than 50 per cent of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100 per cent.

Andrew Carnegie

Carnegie would have been bewildered by the present-day discussion on work–life balance. For him work was his life. The same is true of those who have excelled in the arts, humanities and sciences. There are very few, if any, who coasted to greatness.

WHAT TO DO

  • You have to decide how much time and effort you wish to invest in your career and what sacrifices you are willing to make to achieve your dreams. Unless you are willing to ‘go full in’, it’s unlikely that you’ll reach the very top.
  • No matter what your age or present position, if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to think strategically about your career (see Section 2).
  • Start by setting your ultimate objective. Provide as much detail of your objective as possible and what it will feel like to achieve it. This ‘vision’ will help you stay the course when things become difficult – and they will.
  • Establish a series of targets that will move you towards achievement of your objective. Break these down into a series of short- (less than one year), medium- (two to five years) and long-term (six to ten year) targets. Note that targets set more than a year in advance are little more than a pious wish. Therefore, update your plans on a rolling basis to take account of new information and your success and failures.
  • Ensure that all your targets are SMART i.e..
SMART targets
  • You’ve now got some idea of what you want to achieve and what you need to do to reach your objective. Now is the time to ask yourself whether you are willing to pay the price required to be successful. Your pursuit of success means sacrifice. Look at the other activities in your life and the time you spend on them. These include family, socialising, sleep, hobbies, holidays, etc. Which are you willing to give up or reduce to realise your ambitions? It’s a tough question but you need to ask and answer it.
  • Unless you are in a job that has little or no need for input from others, such as writing, you will be able to achieve your objectives only through the work of others. Therefore, you must learn to delegate if you wish to increase your productivity (see Quotations 16 and 27).

QUESTIONS TO ASK

  • How much additional time do I need to devote to work in order to achieve my objectives? Where can I find that time? (See Quotation 20).
  • If I’m not willing to reduce the time I spend on non-work related activities, do I need to review my objectives or can I still achieve them by working smarter (delegate more)?
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