Wall v. Main: a disconnect

"My bonus is 'shameful' - but I worked hard to get it," said John Konstantinidis, a wholesale insurance broker, lunching Friday at Harry's at Hanover Square.
[It's Theirs and They're Not Apologizing, Alan Feuer & Karen Zraick, NYT, Saturday, 31 Jan 2009]

Here's a disconnect: for most folks, 'working hard' is not sufficient. Achieving results with your hard work is what counts.

Back when I was gainfully employed - before retiring - my annual performance review was based not on how many hours I worked, or on how many analyses I performed, or on how many presentations I delivered.
It was based on what I had achieved - what specific, measurable contributions to my company's bottom-line had I effected.
[... and whatever bonus I might receive was tied directly - via a formula - the company's profitability!]

[In fact - there's a somewhat tiresome adage in industry: "work smarter, not harder". Working smarter can deliver results better than working harder.]

Mr. Konstantinidis's protestation suggests that this notion is foreign to workers in the financial sector.

The cited article suggests that this attitude is not unique to Mr. Konstantinidis, but is pervasive within the Wall Street culture:

"People come here because they want to work hard and get paid a lot for working hard," one investment banker said Friday as he wended his way, lunch bag in hand, through the World Financial Center.

On Main Street it's not hard work per se that is rewarded. Rather, it's the result hard work achieves that counts.

I suggest this is a crucial difference between the culture of Wall Street and the culture of Main Street.