Effort ≠ value

“We expend effort. We create value. It’s easy to get confused about which one we’re going to ultimately be compensated for.”
–Seth Godin, in this blog

Ever had a coworker brag about how many hours they worked, or how little sleep they got? These boasts are all about how much effort was expended—which can be a useful metric to predict future value. But effort doesn’t measure value. 

Meanwhile, our culture grows increasingly weary of people who seem to expend the same amount of effort as us, but are compensated exponentially more. We make the mistake of equating effort to compensation. 

On some level, effort produces value, and is rewarded. But not all the time. Like it or not, this capitalistic machine marches on. You don’t have to endorse it, and you don’t have to bend the knee to it. But it can’t hurt to understand how it works, and leverage it for the advantages you desire.