Becoming An Engineer of the Craft

Listening to a Conan O’Brien interview with Kevin Hart, I was particularly struck by a part of their chatter with one another where they spoke about the professionalism that comes from doing the work.

They shared a story about Will Ferrell and his ability to know when to go for the laugh and when and how to come back from it. They spoke about the expertise that came from doing the work and how people mistakenly believe that people like him and Hart are just funny and don’t understand how much work goes into being a craftsman.

O’Brien said, “A lot of people don’t understand, maybe because it isn’t sexy to say, “Will has talent. Kevin Hart has talent. But they put in this enormous amount of work and thought. A lot of people don’t want to hear that because who wants to hear that? It’s like, I want to be a great musician. You’ve got to practice for thousands of hours. Nah, I just want to be a rock god.”

Hart then told a story about how Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Lebron James each started to play with their back to the basket. “They were still the best basketball players on the planet but they learned how to be the best with less effort and with less work so they can last for long. They learned how to take care of their body, execute, and score efficiently without doing the things they did when they were younger.”