Musings of Dan McComas, Founder and CEO here at Imzy!
Parents, don't let your babies grow up without a work ethic
I get asked a lot what are the common traits I see in good employees, and more than that, good engineers. There are a few commonalities:
- Fast problem solvers
- Great communicators
- Strong work ethic
I think it's worth just calling out the last two points because I think this is where I see the most people fail the fastest at, and are least likely to correct.
Communication
There is simply no excuse for not being a good communicator. If you find yourself having problems with your coworkers often (once a month or more), you probably have problems with communication. You can get help with this, but it takes hard work. You might think you should take a communication class, but I think seeing a therapist and learning how to be introspective is much more effective. You need to understand your vulnerabilities, your anxieties, and come to grips with them. These are usually the points at which your communication break down.
Strong Work Ethic
The other place I see great failure is with people's work ethic. Especially at startups. When I talk about work ethic, it doesn't necessarily mean that you are working tremendous hours. Usually the problem with work ethic lies in being unwilling to recognize when you are not doing what is needed of you for the company to be successful.
You need to realize what the company you are working for needs from you and you need to do it, whatever it takes.
There is often a correlation between people who have problems communicating and people that lack a strong work ethic. Which makes sense really, if you are unable to communicate or understand others, it would be pretty hard to understand what is expected of you.
The moral of the story: get good at communicating and do your job!




I can't believe you managed to get Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson stuck in my head. Anyway...
I couldn't agree more about the necessity of a strong work ethic (or grit if you prefer). I work for a training company whose motto is Try Harder where students are not given direct answers and really have to put in a lot of effort over hours, days, and weeks in order to succeed. It's very rare that we have a student who begins with a poor work ethic and suddenly develops one.
I think a strong work ethic and resilience are probably the most important things people can instill in their children, next to compassion and empathy.
@dookie you're not alone I got that song stuck in my head immediately also!
@Dan brilliant post. I feel like work ethic isn't something most people value these days... Employees seem disposable.
Excellent point. I speak with company founders. If you're not disposable, you represent a threat. (Which they'll want to solve by restructuring things to make you disposable.)
So true, and in IT more so than anywhere else IMO.
I think it's true outside of start ups. Even when I was working in Fortune 500 land, the people who left at 5 on the nose, and in turn missed their deadlines, never lasted long. Putting in extra hours one day doesn't always equate to walking out early another, but I feel like the reward of getting something done makes up for it.
I think a lot of people don't take the time, even if just a few moments, to ask "is what I'm working on good for the company, or is it self serving?"
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Couldn't agree more with this! I have a wonderful job at a wonderful organization, and part of what makes it so wonderful is that there's a lot of wiggle room when it comes to getting work done. My job is demanding and high-stakes, but as long as I meet my deadlines and communicate with other team members, I'm free to set my own schedule, make high-level decisions, and otherwise manage my workload my way.
There are 16-hour days and 6-hour days, and both are necessary to completing my work efficiently. The 16-hour days are necessary because there are deadlines and there's always a lot to get done even on the days no deadlines loom, and the 6-hour days are necessary to relax, recalibrate, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Without those, I'd burn out... and you know what doesn't help my company? A burned-out employee.
There's an ebb and flow to hard work. In my experience, productivity increases the moment you embrace that.