Do the Work, Even if No One Notices

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Do the Work, Even if No One Notices

Not every outstanding achievement is recognized in your lifetime. In fact, the positive impact of your efforts might not even be revealed until after you’re gone.

Not sure if that’s true? Consider Dr. Alister MacKenzie, one of the greatest golf course architects in history.

He designed Augusta National and Cypress Point, two of the world's top three golf courses today. Both are places of pilgrimage or dreams for most golfers, celebrated for their beauty and brilliance.

But here’s the part most people don’t know: He poured his genius into those courses, yet he died without being paid in full for either and without living to see the respect they command today. In fact, he died in January 1934, just a few months before the inaugural Masters Tournament was played at Augusta National.

See, greatness and impact aren’t always tied to immediate reward. It makes sense why you want them to be because effort is given in the present, which means results are desired there as well.

But sometimes the work you do, the seeds you sow, and the excellence you pursue won’t be revealed or appreciated until a later date or long after you’re gone.

That’s why you can’t live for the applause, the likes, or even the paycheck. You must work for impact. As I remind managers in the Accelerate Leadership Program often, “Your title is temporary, but your impact is lasting.”

So today, do the work. Even if no one notices now, the impact on others might outlast you.

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