The New Meaning of Lazy*

The original kind of lazy avoids hard physical work. Too lazy to dig a ditch, organize a warehouse or clean the garage.

Modern lazy avoids emotional labor. This is the laziness of not raising your hand to ask the key question, not caring about those in need or not digging in to ship something that might not work. Lazy is having an argument instead of a thoughtful conversation. Lazy is waiting until the last minute. And lazy is avoiding what we fear.

To find out if an applicant has a tendency towards laziness, ask this interview question: “What’s the hardest job you’ve ever had?” Then say: “Tell me why you found that job to be hard.”

*With a tip of the hat to Seth Godin.