Consistency and Determination: Why Hard Work Alone Won’t Get You to the Next Level
Consistency and determination are what take you past the point where hard work stops paying off. Putting your head down and doing the work gets you to a certain level in your career. Getting past it means consistently stretching out of your comfort zone, being determined enough to keep going when you stumble, and asking whether you’re even doing the right kind of work.
When we think about career progression, a lot of us just put our head down and do the work. And yes, that’s important. It gets you to a certain point in your career.
But to take it to the next level, you have to consistently stretch out of your comfort zone. That means doing the things you’re not comfortable doing, but you know you really need to.
What Happened When I Said Yes to Something I’d Never Done
I recently spent a few days on the Mariner of the Seas, with stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel. A few days into the trip, I opened with a session on executive presence.
The event organizer asked, “Hey, can you do a quick Q&A on presence for an hour, hour and a half?”
I said, okay, perfect. I’d never done anything like that with an audience before, but let’s go ahead and make it happen.
It was incredible. We had about 50 people in the room. I had no plan. I got up there, set the stage, shared a little about my background and where I am now, and then opened it up.
A question came. Then another question. And what we ended up doing was pulling on these threads and connecting the dots between everybody in the room.
Why That Room Wasn’t in My Comfort Zone
Everyone in that group was a cybersecurity expert. CISOs. Best in class, the top of their field.
I know a little bit about cybersecurity, but quite frankly, just enough to be dangerous.
I was still able to hold my own. Part of that is because of all the different types of teams and businesses I’ve been a part of over the years. That background lets me step into almost any room and just have a conversation.
But answering questions for over an hour in a room full of CISOs is not exactly my comfort zone. The reason I had the skills to do it is because I’ve constantly pushed myself. I got comfortable jumping into something new, feeling like an idiot, and realizing that’s okay.
Why Is Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone So Important for Career Growth?
When I talk about consistency and determination, here’s what I mean.
You have to be relentlessly focused on what it takes to step up to that next level. That means putting yourself in rooms and situations where you’re not comfortable.
You’re going to fall. You’re going to trip. You’re going to embarrass yourself sometimes.
Where Determination Comes In
This is where determination comes in. You have to understand that falling is part of the process, and you have to be determined to move through it.
Every person you respect and admire, everybody whose achievements you aspire to, went through this same journey.
Sure, some people were born with a silver spoon in their mouth and had access to the best colleges and business schools. Fine. They started at a different place on the playing field than you did.
You can complain about it, but complaining won’t move you forward. You just have to keep moving, step by step, knowing it’s going to be tough and challenging.
Do it over a long enough period of time, and you’ll find yourself in rooms you never thought possible.
How Consistency Compounds Over Time
If you’d come to me ten years ago and said, “Sean, you’re going to be a keynote speaker. You’re going to speak in Canada and in states all over the U.S. You’re going to be on a cruise speaking in Mexico,” I would have thought you were crazy. There’s no way I would have believed it.
But I kept moving forward, and an interesting thing happened. I got better.
The first time I stepped on stage, I fumbled a little bit. I made mistakes. I went back and watched the video, and then I got better. Over and over and over.
I’ve shared before that I have this relentless focus. It used to be on climbing the corporate ladder. Now it’s on becoming the best version of myself and putting my dent in the universe. I haven’t quite made the dent I want yet, but I’m working on it. I’m pounding away, doing everything I can to get out of my comfort zone.
And yes, I know it sounds a little odd to talk about being out of my comfort zone while traveling to beautiful places like Costa Maya. But it’s the truth. I was sweating like crazy on that trip, and I don’t love presenting on executive presence looking like that.
What 300 Episodes Taught Me About Consistency
For five and a half years, I’ve made a commitment to record a show every single week. We recently passed 300 episodes.
The wild part is, sometimes the shows are terrible, and sometimes they’re bangers that I want to push out to help as many people as possible.
That’s part of the journey. You don’t get the good ones without showing up for all of them.
Are You Doing the Right Kind of Work?
If you want to step up to the next level, you can keep plugging away on that treadmill, working as hard as you possibly can.
But it might be worth asking a few people above you in the chain of command, or a few people you respect and admire:
Hey, what am I doing wrong? What can I do differently or better? How do I get to the next step?
What you’ll find is that the work you’re doing is great, but getting to that next level requires a different type of work. It requires a different version of you.
What Does It Mean to Focus the Lens on Your Career?
Focusing the lens on your career means asking enough people, enough times, until the path to your next level becomes clear.
It’s like focusing the lens on a camera. It’s going to be blurry at first. But keep adjusting, and eventually it comes into focus. Then you’ll find yourself exactly where you’re meant to be.
So keep pushing forward. Keep doing the work. And then get curious and ask, am I even doing the right kind of work?
Frequently Asked Questions About Consistency and Determination
Why isn’t hard work enough to get promoted?
Hard work gets you to a certain level, but Sean Barnes explains that the next level usually requires a different type of work. That means stretching out of your comfort zone and asking people above you what it actually takes to move up.
How do consistency and determination help your career?
Consistency means repeatedly putting yourself in uncomfortable situations so your skills grow over time. Determination is what keeps you going when you stumble or embarrass yourself along the way. Together, they compound into opportunities you couldn’t have planned for.
How do I get out of my comfort zone at work?
Say yes to things you haven’t done before, like speaking to a new audience or joining a conversation outside your expertise. Expect to feel awkward and make mistakes, and treat that as part of the process.
What should I ask my boss to get to the next level?
Ask direct questions like: What am I doing wrong? What could I do differently or better? What would it take to get to the next step? Ask several people you respect, not just one.
What does it mean to focus the lens on your career?
It’s Sean’s analogy for finding your path. Like a camera lens, your direction is blurry at first, but the more people you ask and the more feedback you gather, the clearer your next step becomes.
How long does it take to see results from being consistent?
There’s no set timeline. Sean describes going from someone who never imagined being a keynote speaker to speaking across North America over about ten years, getting better each time by reviewing his mistakes and showing up again.
Ready to Find Your Next Level?
Wolf Executives works with directors and senior leaders across Houston who are working hard and still feel stuck. If you want help figuring out whether you’re doing the right kind of work for the next step, let’s have a conversation.
About the Author
Sean Barnes is the founder of Wolf Executives, a Houston based executive coaching and leadership development firm, and host of The Sean Barnes Podcast. He spent two decades in progressive leadership roles across IT, human resources, ESG, safety, and transportation, and has guided organizations through dozens of acquisitions and integrations as well as two IPOs. Today he coaches directors and senior leaders through the transition into vice president level roles and beyond, and speaks at 40 to 50 conferences and executive events a year across North America as a keynote speaker and conference chair.