You may have heard this Bill Gates quote before.
“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
Bill Gates
Lazy is often mistaken for intelligence. I hate doing things the hard way. I’m not interested in spending enormous amounts of time creating red tape.
I’m a problem solver and like to find solutions fast. Please note that speed isn’t my primary goal – solving the problem is the goal. Solving it fast is just a better alternative to not solving it – or solving it slow.
Maybe that makes me lazy in some people’s eyes – maybe Bill would think I’m lazy. I think I’m just not an idiot who spins wheels and flings mud – I get my rig out of the mud as fast as possible with zero damage.
I’m always looking for the right solution. I think it’s more of an attitude than some kind of higher thinking. I suspect that’s why Bill Gates describes this as lazy. It’s an intrinsic trait that you’ve got or you don’t – and it’s the antithesis of people that thrive producing documentation. Maybe you need both on your team, the problem solver and the document maker.
If you had to choose one, who do you want on your team? Do you want the person that drives toward the goal, checks their work, proves their theories, and makes things work… or do you want the person that buries themselves in paperwork and deliverables?
I’m going with Bill. I want the mavericks on my team – the folks that go with their gut and drive toward the goal. At the end of the day the proof is in the pudding, right?