Does Effort Impact Success? The Temperament of Trying
The belief that effort pays off in terms of greater success (Bernard Weiner 1972, 1983) is not the commonly held belief of most people In fact, most people attribute greater success proportionally in order of significance to the following hierarchy:
- Talent/Ability
- Connections/Other People
- Chance/Luck
- and finally Effort
As you can see, effort is typically perceived as the last and least significant factor.
The reality is that the first four of these beliefs actually inhibit the achievement of success. If you believe ability to be the ultimate key to success you will inevitably encounter a skill at which you do not have the greatest ability. In fact, belief that you have only specific skill set abilities will cause you to sabotage yourself when presented with circumstances that require a different or unique skill set. Cholerics often fall victim to this pitfall.
If you believe that other people are the primary cause of success is inherently destructive when the individual finds they must work alone. Sanguines and Supines suffer most from this misconception.
Belief in chance or luck also has hazards. What happens “when your luck runs out?” These are the dreads of both the Melancholy and the Phlegmatic.
This brings us to two generalizations we can make about the concept of Effort in relation to success.
- Not everyone comprehends the importance of believing in the power of effort. Not everyone readily accepts that enhanced effort pays off in enhanced achievement. Hence the many programs available that taut the slogan “work smarter not harder.” In fact direct effort has a direct effect on success relative to that effort (Seligman 1990,1994).
- We can learn to change our beliefs to emphasize the importance of effort in success. Added effort will pay off in terms of enhanced success (Craske 1985). Those who embrace the relationship between effort and achievement actually achieve more than those who adopt work smart strategies.
Sports figures Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger and Pete Rose come to mind.
Can you share a temperament of tenacity story?