Great products are like ducks. They are calm above the water but paddling furiously below the water. An entrepreneur told me this quip last week and I think it had great wisdom in it.

In other words great products are graceful. They make something complex look effortless.

Great athletes are the same. So are great dancers. And even great entrepreneurs.

The secret within this aphorism is that success is a grind. It is hard work. It’s easier to let it all hang out for others to see how hard work can be. Often we want others to understand how challenging a problem was to solve or how stressful a deal was to close or how complex a product is.

But the people and products who capture our imaginations are the ones who grind like everyone else but remain placid on the surface. These are the graceful ones - the ducks. They make the grind disappear and the results of their work seem effortless as a result.