The habit of Doing More Than You Are Paid For is a simple approach to life that breeds success. It seems to be a habit that people ignore and don’t consider important. Why is it that people who have trouble in life are always looking for short cut, rather than finding the most effective way of solving a problem.
How sad this is.
The concept of Doing More Than You Are Paid for is so important that Napoleon Hill dedicates a full lesson to it. The habit isn’t very popular, a Google search of the expression “Doing More Than You Are Paid For” without the quotes returned some 76,000,000 million hits, with the quotes, only 11 hits.
Pretty sad state of affairs.
The 76 million hits were scary since the first 20 or so are about getting more than you paid for. That isIn the Bible, Moses is in front of the burning bush, and G-d has to call his name twice, “Moses, Moses”. Why? Did Moses not hear G-d the first time? The great Jewish commentators answers that Moses was working and to take time off from work to do something personal (even speaking to G-d) was considered theft.
Moses took his job seriously. I am sure, if I was there, I would have taken a few minutes of my day to chat with G-d.
Moses then went on to win a great war with the leading nation (Egypt) and lead his people for 40 years. (He did some other stuff too!) We know from later events in the bible that his boss (Moses’ father-in-law) would not have minded if Moses took some work time to talk to G-d.
The point of the story (besides the poor attempt at humour) – Moses did More Than He Was Paid To Do and he went on to accomplish great things in his life.
“Doing More Than You Are Paid For” is really a misnomer. In reality, you are paid for doing more. But the compensation comes in other ways at other times.
My REALLY long answer can be found at
http://www.zaletabakman.ca/2008/05/21/doing-more-than-you-are-paid-for/
Let’s see what the members of my LinkedIn Network have to say about all this!
Click here to find the original question and answer on LinkedIn Answers
The Success Stories series provides case studies from people about what it takes to become successful. Each of us is unique in our goals and aspirations, but we have things in common with others. Through the 10,000,000 people in my LinkedIn network we can share ideas and solutions that will help you achieve your goals. While I don’t always agree with all the comments I receive, I include all that are presented coherently and could help at least one of my readers.
The questions have been slightly edited for grammar and presentation. Comments and Kudos, while always appreciated, have been edited out.
Commercial director, writer, producer, voice talent
I look around at so many jobs and professions and silently think to myself that the quality of the work in general is very mediocre. There are of course exceptions, but it would appear that even people who perform poorly at their jobs manage to make large salaries and get promotions, etc.
It is very difficult when you require casual services and don’t know where to turn . For example, a small carpentry job or a gardener.
In my personal life, having at one time been a union bartender, I knew that per union agreements there was very little “expected” of me, and so when I did little things to assist the wait staff or help a hotel guest or cleanup a spill or anything that wasn’t specifically within my contract obligations, it was noticed.
While many of the union bartenders could go weeks without employment, I would often find myself with a choice of 3 – 4 union calls per day.
This equates to my present work ethic which simply states that the project will be the best it cold possibly be for my involvement.
The fact that I have many opportunities to do varied things is simply testament to the many people who are not willing to strive for excellence in what they do and thus create openings for others.
Information Systems & Technology Administrator, SSG, US Army
In the military environment you are expected to perform tasks. The level of your rank and time in the military usually determines the level of expertise required with that task. Some of those in the military will only do those tasks assigned directly to them. In other words you have to step in front of them and specifically assign them that task.
There are others that make it far in the military. They are the ones that enjoy their work and know that if they do it right the first time they will get noticed. Especially when others around them are taking longer to perform the same task.
Performing you job, no matter the speciality, to the best of your ability and in a professional matter usually gets you noticed. You don’t always know you’re being noticed but do your best and know that others are always watching.
Visionary , Author, Speaker, and Disney Dad!
For me my own personal growth, which yes, is a selfish answer, but very true. Equally as selfish for referrals from others who love what I have done to help them and tell others.
Award-winning Author/Journalist/Editor
If everyone around you is giving the minimum, then giving anything more than that, de facto, will make you stand out. I can’t picture giving “what I’m paid for” as that is so poorly defined anyway. I want my clients delighted.
I confess I can’t even understand people who offer the very barest minimum. It seems a form of passive aggression. Exceed expectations!
Information Technology and Services Consultant and Professional, Technical Writer, Systems Architect, Consultant
When I was at Policy Management Systems (P.M.S.C; which is now part of C.S.C.), I worked extra hours to debug systems. Management clearly noticed this and my ensuing successes. This course of action won for me excellent references for future positions. Moreover, four years after having quit P.M.S.C; I received an unsolicited invitation to an interview from a manager at Teleglobe, because he worked at P.M.S.C. after I quit there and he learned about me through reputation.
When I worked extra hours at Gan
Canada and DST (now International Financial Data Processing Services), I was deemed to have become proficient in the skill, UNIX-PROGRESS.
However, working extra hours without pay is not always to your advantage. If there is neither experiential nor learning gain, and no business need for it or an unethical employer sees the extra work as an unappreciated “freebie”, then a worker should reconsider working extra hours for same pay.
Coach-Life Transformation/Hope & Serenity/Addictions
I'm not sure how I could do more than I was paid.
Starting out in the work force, I was "junior" and quickly stood out as an achiever. As my career progressed, I was recognized financially, by way of promotions, etc. for the work I did. Pay was never an issue, I tried to give my employer full value for whatever I was being paid, to do the best I could. For me, money is not a motivator, results and self-satisfaction are.
As A Life Transformation Coach, I give every client full value for their fee. Some get huge value because they put in the effort and are honest. Some get what I can give them on the surface, but no more because they put limits on the value of the service by their lack of effort.
Same fee, same coach, very different outcomes. Some get far more than they thought they ever could.
Check me out at www.hopeserenity.ca, I guarantee from me you'll get more talent and attention than you pay for, results are up to you!
Artist in Collaboration * Consulting * Facilitation * Performing Artist * {LION} {TopLinked}
"...more than you are paid for" is monothematic, or is that moneythematic? If my life was nourished only by payment, which is the reward suggested by that question, then I would naturally only do that which nourished me - do what I am paid for. I would then need to seek more nourishment elsewhere.
How lovely that we are nourished by so many things in life, even in the context of a single employment commitment. I am nourished by the stimulation of the work, the human relationships, the connection and integration of ideas, the intellectual and emotional adventure, the sense of possibility for the future... please fill in what I've missed. The "more" that we do is fed by all of these things. The "pay" nourishes the physical well-being - and is appreciated thank you very much! - but the "more" is for the nourishment of all of the rest of my humanity. It is all of the rest, after all, that makes me rich, not my bank account.
In addition to enjoying my work as a consultant and facilitator, I co-direct the Cultural Arts Coalition: http://www.artscare.org/cac.intro.shtml
The Mission of the Cultural Arts Coalition is Identifying, supporting, promoting, celebrating, and documenting community arts practices that stimulate social awareness and honour diverse cultural values, and develop the critical thinking skills necessary to be creative and solve problems. As a networking group, the coalition strives to provide a safe place for persons of all ages and backgrounds to gather and achieve a sense of belonging and respect within a larger community and to explore arts-related skills in a facilitated environment AND sing Brazilian classical music - see my website at www.duobraziliana.com
Life is full of many wonderful things to do that nourish the pocket and all of the other important parts of us!
Senior Developer / Architect at NYC Game Developer.
NEVER do more than you are paid for, if you do you may be doing work that your employer does not want you to do.
If your employer wanted you to do that work, you would have been specifically requested to do it. If you have not been requested to do that work but you do it anyway you are presuming to know better than your employer who should be doing which work and when, disrupting planning, devaluing the work of others, etc.
[ZT - Interesting approach idea. The idea of doing more than you are paid for is really in the idea of doing an excellent job. An extension of this would be to inquire what is wanted and why. Then the opportunity of doing more would become available.]
Service Manager, Facilities Expert, Futurist, Productivity Evangelist
Bill Russell (12- time All Star and leading rebounder for the Boston Celtics) has a great quote about this:
“My father once told me that anyone who worked for three dollars an hour owed it to himself to put in four dollar’s worth of work so at the end of the day he could look any man in the eye and tell him where to go. My father believed that you could feel a sense of security for giving more than what someone was expecting from you. I took my lead from him.”
I have found that giving more than what I’m paid is one of the things that has distinguished me from my peers in the HVAC industry. I attribute much of what has made me marketable to this.
It doesn’t mean that you kill yourself either- because staying an extra few minutes to make sure that a report is filed, or that your assignments are laid out for the following day is a way of getting ahead, having prepared answers, and staying on top of things that save you headaches down the road- and you never have to deal with the guilt for taking a few extra minutes at lunch, or leaving a few minutes late one afternoon because you know you’ve already paid your dues.
Network Administrator/Programmer at The Telephone Center
Doing More Than I Am Paid For has helped me, in addition to getting my salary raised, by increasing the amount of responsibility given to me at my company, as well as securing me a better title.
The new responsibilities have helped me to develop my skills, as well as gain new skill’s, as I am challenged by new projects, outside of my current skill set. This is perhaps the greatest benefit of Doing More Than I Am Paid For. I must research, design, implement, document, and teach others within my company, and/or clients how to utilize the things I implement. Before I worked at my company they outsourced their IT management, to another company. Now I single handedly manage their network.
My LinkedIn profile (see link below) summarizes many of my implementations. A good representative example, I think, is my current project I am working on. We had been using a tape archiving and backup system, which was being pushed to its limits. I suggested to the owner’s, that we implement, disk based backup and disaster recovery, paired with Blu-ray for archiving and to add an additional layer of protection for disaster recovery data. I was given the green light.
I work for a small company, so we are always trying to be as economical as humanly possible. So we were not going to just buy an expensive turnkey solution. Instead I would design a system, which saved my company thousands (if not tens of thousands) of dollars, in implementing this new, radically different, backup/archiving/disaster recovery system.
I did this by using a workstation version of backup software from an industry leader in backup. This gave us tried and true software from a reputable company, for a fraction of the price of their server software, which really just added more automation, and disaster recovery. I created AutoIt scripts, to automate any portions of the system that were not already automated, by the backup software. And I used a popular open source solution to take care of Disaster Recovery.
As you can see, in doing all of this, I have gained new skills as well as refined some existing ones. This, I feel, is the real value added, that makes Doing More Than I Am Paid For, worth it in the long run.
Also to be clear, this and all of my other similar projects are considered my ‘side’ work, that I must balance with my ‘production’ work of programming projects to client specifications, as well as creating programs, to report, clean, reformat, and deliver data. This aspect, has helped me develop my organizational and project management skill’s, through having to constantly prioritize my task’s to make sure my client project’s don’t run behind. Here again, without the added responsibilities I was given, specifically by going above and beyond from day 1, I would not be gaining this valuable experience.
I have met a few friends, over the years that are getting paid almost twice as much as I am, for performing relatively menial tasks, like switching backup tapes when prompted, creating users, and resetting passwords. To be honest I have to admit, at times I have been tempted to get such a job, where I would be (in my opinion) getting paid for more than I am doing.
But I have always come to the conclusion that, despite the fact my salary is probably in the bottom 0.1% those given to “Network Administrators” in the US, not only is my current job/title better for my resume, but the additional responsibility is also better for me as a person, and for my career path.
You just can’t beat getting paid to teach yourself new skills! (even if your currently getting paid a fraction of what those new skills are worth)
Group Chief Engineer at Dale Farm Ltd.
To be honest I’m not sure what exactly I’m paid for! Something to do with market value, previous results and experience and I’m sure a bunch of other reasons. In fact what I’m paid and what I do have never featured in my thinking. I have always done my best and sought to better myself so my best got better. I have never asked for a raise as a result of feeling I am doing more than I am paid to do, my pay is a product of what my managers have felt I should be paid rather than something I have expressed a view to them on. This may sound naive but then so might doing more than you are paid for?
Money has never been a primary motivator – sure ‘needs must’ and money has featured higher or lower on the agenda depending on what was going on in my life, getting married, buying a house, having kids and all that stuff, but it never becomes my reason for doing something. Having a sense of purpose for my work, achieving and better still exceeding goals and expectations, and having the privilege of helping others in my company become better at what they do are the things that propel me forward (and how I judge my success).
There are good managers and leaders who recognize and value people for what they achieve, how they achieve it and the future potential value they might add to a business.
Sales Representative*MyLink500.com*LION*TopLinked.com
Going beyond our responsibilities, and ourselves requires curiosity. This ability to be inquisitive not only helps us, but those around us because others get a chance to see what can be achieved.
When you decide to do more, you create your own ideas and have the right to call something your own. This is when you experience success.
What I mean is that by creating your own framework in which to operate and for others to follow, you have defined new rules and concepts from which others can draw from and be inspired.
By being courageous enough to make this difference not only for yourself but for others, you are demonstrating an unselfish approach to yourself and your community of colleagues.
This attitude will also gain you respect and recognition, which is not always rewarded financially, and indeed can be taken advantage of.
You will be successful because once you take the first step to work outside and in addition to your responsibilities.
You will develop the belief that you can create alternate outcomes at will.
This crosses over into ones personal/Family and social life where the belief that you can affect outcomes and change your behavior will always give you the foresight to position yourself better for future opportunities.
Resource Manager at Swinsoft Inc
Doing more than you are paid for…. To be frank, I really do not understand what “more” is or what “less” is…………more or less is relative, it would depend on an individual’s point of view.
As I see it:
Work is work, if it is your job to get it done, then you need to get it done, pay should not effect that, if one is smart enough to get a 8 hrs job get done in 4 hrs and still get paid for 8hrs, I do not see any problem with that, and if your job is taking more than 8 hrs, then it’s your job, do it… more or less does not figure here. Point is, get the job done in the manner expected.
As for the pay, if one feels he is underpaid, then that individual is already doing more than he is paid for, if one feels he being paid more than he deserves (btw, I have yet to come across one such person), then I guess he is just plain lucky or may be he really deserves it and just doesn’t know. And if a person is satisfied with his pay, then he is doing what he is being paid for, not more nor less.
We all try to put in that extra, cause we know it pays in the long run… so if putting “more” helps you get that promotion or that salary raise, then you really cannot call it doing more, I would call it a strategic investment of time & effort which you hope would get you a better returns someday. You are not doing anyone any favour, you are doing it for yourself. But there is no guarantee that it would get you that success, cause in today’s market, there are so many other things that factors into your success story…
Like I said earlier, I really do not understand this “more” or “less”. As per me, if you have taken a job/responsibility, then just get it done, doesn’t matter if you have to put in more or less….
VP, Business Development; Motivational Speaker; Leadership Trainer & Executive Coach at iPEC Coaching & Training
“Doing more than you’re paid for” I think is a key for those who get ahead in today’s world. Most people only (or even barely) deliver what they are paid for. They deliver only what’s been requested — and move on to whatever’s next. Now there is a time to know how to invest your time, but going above and beyond stands out — big time — and for the following reasons:
- Doing more sets you apart as someone who wants to deliver outstanding results.
- It shows your level of commitment and resolve to doing the best job you can.
- Based on your commitment and resolve, it typically shows you as someone that people can trust to follow through (an extremely value trait)
- You become a trusted resource and “go to” person.
You’re services will end up getting valued higher (i.e. paid more) as a result of this.
· http://humanpotential.typepad.com
Writer/Author/Poet; Educator with Marketing/PR , Editing, Copy/Ad, Non-Profit & Cust Svc Experience
When you take on added responsibilities without being asked to, you tell your employers and or supervisors that you are a reliable and flexible person with some initiative and a willingness to extend your duties. This message is to your credit and will benefit you in the end. You become, in a sense, more respected and admired, indispensable to the company and on the mind for upcoming promotions. This all leads to trust and a great relationship with your work.
Independent Writing and Editing Professional
So far, in Chicago, I’ve found that doing more than I am paid for is extremely frowned upon and has only led to more being expected of me–UNPAID of course.
As a lifelong work ethic, I have always done more than is expected of me just because I’m a perfectionist and I do not much see the point of investing myself in a project or activity if my efforts are only mediocre. Once relocated to
Chicago, I especially wanted to demonstrate that I am not afraid of work and that I’m willing to go the extra mile to assist the “team” and to raise the bar.
This strategy has been disastrous. First of all, it only showed that since I am capable of doing more, I should be given more to do. Secondly, for a vast number of people seeking to advance their own careers, people like me are a golden opportunity to delegate their own responsibilities to me, so that they appear to be extraordinarily efficient and ambitious to their superiors, at my expense. Thirdly, my employers in
Chicago have been so self-absorbed, that they didn’t even notice my extra efforts anyway. Yes, they benefited from it and yes, they continued to avail themselves of my deep attention to detail and my ideas for streamlining and improving the existing organizational structure, but I never so much as received a “thank you” much less any peripheral, intangible benefits from being more than mediocre.
In fact, at my last job, I was punished for going the extra mile, by being absolutely deluged with the excess work the limited staff had no time to do themselves. I was chastised for not just “getting things out” but instead trying to do them to the standard the company brand required. When I added extra detail, extra effort or helped out by taking a task off of someone else’s full plate, it always came back to bite me with the “what have you done for me lately” syndrome or by that extra effort becoming the new standard by which I was then expected to live up to.
In a corporate setting, it’s a really bad idea to be a “go-getter” and to do anything extra. In a few, anecdotal situations, it meets the Donald Trumpian lore of standing out from the pack and being essential for your rise to the corner office, but in reality, millions of people every day do nice things with good intentions for their coworkers and their companies and yet they will go to their grave never getting an inch further in their career or growing any closer to their colleagues.
Remember, no good deed goes unpunished. If you have extra energy or initiative, use it sparingly and make sure you do not become a target of exploitation in your workplace. I’ve also found that Chicago employers enjoy paying some of the lowest wages in the nation, so chances are that you’re already not getting paid enough, so doing more than you are paid for is just icing on the cake for these cheap companies, who will take a mile for every extra inch you give.
Do I sound negative and pessimistic? I’m afraid so, but I was not this way when I arrived to
Chicago. I am truly saddened and disappointed to see how workers have been beaten down here by duplicitous colleagues, phony managers, indifferent employers, two-faced HR staffers and corporate climates that foster the idealistic notion of teamwork but drop you with a thud the minute something is not working in their favor. I’m really shocked at the poor quality of life companies create for their employees by being inflexible with hours, not providing daycare, being stingy on transportation and health costs, cutting payroll, overburdening workers, but then scolding about overtime, not giving free recognition like “thank yous” or verbal commendations, not being bothered to attend to the advancement of their employees or cultivation for better positions down the road. You could literally stagnate at a job for years, unless you have some sort of “in” with a higher up.
Strangely, the laziest and most incompetent people got the promotions at my last job.
Writer & Author
I also don’t think in terms of “more” or “less.” My belief is that I should do what I am paid to do to a standard of excellence. After that, I will contribute my ideas or efforts to improving things to the extent that those ideas or efforts are welcomed and recognized. Beyond that, my extra energy comes back into my own life — perhaps to get “paid” elsewhere, whether personally or financially.
One thing I’ve observed: in most cases, people who are valued in a company are not those who are pouring (wasting) extra energy but those who are directing their energies towards finding and solving new problems or advancing themselves and/or the organization in ways that will matter qualitatively.
Another way of looking at it — a job or project is a contract. I don’t rain down extra time and effort on it anymore than I expect the payer to rain down extra money on me!
Owner, People-Centered Economic Development UK
We could search using similar phrases I guess, like ‘going the extra mile’ and get a few more hits.
Actually, when I read this I thought of two people with the same name. One is a motivational speaker from
Canada who teaches ‘Influence with ease’ the art of getting people ‘in your corner’ to use a fighting analogy.
There’s also me, saying that doing good business is about more than delivering good products and services, can and should penetrate the community and help lift others out of poverty.
CEO/Founder at CabDaddyGPS
I have found that when I do this, it is never ignored, simply not acknowledged to you. Most of the time it is passed along to others and the benefits show their face in the form of referrals and increased business. Also job opportunities abound for individuals with the work ethic and passion to go beyond what they are asked to do for a client or company that they work for. If you find that you receiving none of this where you are, then you are probably within the ranks of the wrong company.
The worse mistake you can make in your career advancement is to dally too long in an organization that is plagued with backstabbing, too much brown-nosing, and a general lack of promotions. Those types of companies are usually full of self-serving executives who take credit for what you do and leave you out to pasture and keep you hanging with phrases like, “Johnson you such a valuable employee here at ABC company and one day people are going to notice the work you are doing” If you keep hearing this, confront the person in a very friendly manner about upcoming promotion opportunities. If his/her demeanour changes and flounders, then evaluate your environment and watch what happens when underlings “score” the big innovation that should be realized in promotion or money and see what happens.
Now, concerning doing this for actual customers of your business, that is going to depend on what type of business you actually have, the geographic location of it, and whether you make yourself approachable. Most people who feel like they aren’t getting their fair shake, just simply aren’t asking for it. You never know until you ask. But remember humble people can still appear so, but inject themselves into situations that foster growth for business and/or careers. Look in yourself, your abilities, and what you have done and put yourself in the other person’s shoes and try to figure out what that person would think of what you did and how important it actually is to them or their company.
Business Excellence Analyst at Unisys
I would agree with Ken Allen. There should not be anything like doing more. If you are doing something, then it should fit the need, else it is precious waste of time/money of everyone.
Strategy researcher randorinho@gmail.com
Indeed. I absolutely share this view. I am trying to find a job, but I can not stop working… What I did all my life and I was not conscious about it: I had the privilege of studying what I liked for the past 20 years. I had the time and money that professional sport activity gave me… Now I am conscious about it and I truly think that this is my best asset. Time to read best management practices around the world. I considered myself a bad student. I finish my degree with 12 (0-20). Now I realized, that the best class, the best teacher, the best knowledge I am getting each day… I can not forget… even if I wanted…
So, I think that we are talking about a way of being like persons, not a way of doing business or get promoted or selling “stuff”.
We just want to improve our skills, helped by others knowledge. If we can make it in our lives, I am sure we can do it in our business or in any thing we really like to do. This is the key and the most embarrassed question you can ask someone:
What do you like to do? Try to make this question to your friends. Without previous preparation, you ask: “What would you like to do for living?” (living – get paid to produce an activity off course – everyone needs to earn money).
Than just observe how people react. You will see that many of them doesn’t know how to answer. Or they are thinking to much to give you an specific answer, or…. It’s rare that someone answers quick and accurately. May be yes, I am wrong. But, if I am wrong, there will be on the planet much more happy people than I can imagine.
Biotech Professional/ Sales/Biz Dev
I have always worked 20-30% extra in everything I ever decided to do and that seems to have always working for me.
I guess it depends on the person. If you decide to fake it, people won’t respect you, I am by nature a workaholic, so I do not recommend anyone faking working hard, it won’t work. You must just work hard genuinely as if you just love what you do and you should love it truly. I guess that has always been easy for me even when I did min wage jobs, I actually did enjoy doing them for the time.
Program Manager
The simple act of doing more may or may not help you out. However, what I have found is that if you listen and find out what is important to your customer/boss, and you go the extra mile to further their needs/desires/wants, then that almost always pays off in the long run. We do this in our business all the time and we have been blessed with a constant flow of work. There are people out there who will use you or try to take advantage of you both internally and externally, but this is where you need to be wise. When you have a choice, work with companies that really care about you. Try to go after and retain the customers that want a true win-win. Figure out what your value proposition is as a person and a company and then try not to be competing on price. This does not easily allow you to do extra. You can still compete on value.
For a personal example, when I was going through my masters program, I listened to what the owners of my current company were really interested in. Then I approached them about doing a consultant project to preposition the company for a huge opportunity that was on the horizon. I was able to gather a great team of people from my masters programs (IT Directors, Program Managers, CEO etc) and we went and did the work of exploring the possibilities and presenting them to the company. As a result of that and other efforts, I was asked to join the Company’s Management team. So I have found it true that “you reap what you sow” or “karma”. Whatever you call it has worked great for me most of my life.
Engaging leadership and management development facilitator
I have lived my professional life following this creed. I don’t necessarily put my approach to work in financial terms, however. To me, this is more about work ethics, personal pride and a sense of “ownership” in my endeavours. I think this is all about personal and professional excellence.
Approaching my work this way has led to several results, in my experience:
- Promotions – my willingness to focus on doing more than the standard has enabled me to earn several title/money/status advancements.
- Recognition – I have been publicly praised for my work ethics, follow-through and general willingness to go “above and beyond”. This recognition has occurred at work, in professional organizations, and among my peers.
- Relationships – my attitude of excellence has resulted in professional and personal friendships with like-minded people over many environments. I treasure these relationships which tend to extend beyond a specific work situation, giving me a great network of people who know the quality of my work.
- Self Worth – I know that I bring value and quality to my activities. This thought has sustained me when the outside world has been “less than hospitable”.
Simply put, doing more than is necessary is the only way I can see approaching work. I’ll add one of my favourite Aristotle quotes as a closing: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit”.
Founder at Total Success Teams (launching Summer 2008)
I am a very positive, growth oriented person, but my answer will sound negative to start with.
The biggest business mistake I had made was habitually charging too little for my services. We are equals, and we exchange value so both parties progress. We are not servants.
Furthermore, I was charging so little that my business, and my ability to serve others, was diminishing, not increasing. The bigger my business gets the more employees, subcontractors, and customers I can serve.
In my earlier years of employment, I saved the
US government one million dollars a month. You know what I got? A blue dot-matrix certificate and a pen. That is when I firmly decided to become self-employed.
Where does this extra 10, 20, or 50% come from? Your children? your spouse? Your love life? Your other clients? Your exercise time? Looking for a better job that actually rewards you properly? Self-employment?
If you are putting in that extra effort, do it because you expect an increased reward to come out of it. If there is no increased reward expected or likely, then you are not using your efforts in your best interests and the interests of your family. We are a world of equals, and the more we give, the more we should receive. So, beyond reasonable charity and good-naturedness, beware of sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice and duty. That is a servant mentality and will keep you a servant.
Imagine you are in a village, and you give two potatoes for every apple or orange you get. You cannot sustain it. It disempowers you economically. It is unfair. Everyone else’s children are healthy and yours get scurvy for lack of vitamin C.
There are only two times to give more than you get: Out of altruistic love for the world or in investing for greater rewards. We of course often have to make the first step in business or personal sacrifices, but if the first few don’t appear to be paying off, we should move to greener pastures or make our own pastures.
If you give what everyone else gives, of course your career will not progress. So yes, you do have to INVEST more time to progress.
But your boss is not a charity. He will pay you as little as possible to obtain your value, just as you will, and should, switch to a more rewarding career if applicable.
In all relationships, both parties should win and get what they want. But work is a BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP. You openly exchange value, not just hope he notices your extra work over the weekend.
As a self-employed person, give more than you promise, but charge enough to give it.
As an employee, give extra and see if your investment appears to pay off. If it won’t pay off, move on or spend your extra hours at your kids soccer game. Remember, your employer is not a charity.
I heard someone on The Millionaire Inside say, “If you want to truly be amazing, do what you say you will do when you say you will do it.”
Be a charitable, good, hard-working, ambitious person. But it is not your job to be the giver while it is the others’ roles to be the taker. We should both give and receive so we both get the rewards we desire.
Senior Project Manager at Sun Life Financial
When I started out after college my best friend’s mother told me that the secret to job security was to be worth more than you were being paid, but not by much.
Anytime I get a raise or a promotion I re-evaluate the money I am generating/saving the company and if the math still works. If I’m too positive, I ask for more money/benefits and use my analysis as the basis for negotiation. If I’m negative I better take on more responsibility or start looking.
Owner, Success Professional Training
I prefer to think of doing more in terms of quality rather than quantity. I’ve heard, as I’m sure you have, twenty minute presentations than were fifteen minutes too long. I’ve also heard one hour presentations that seemed to be too short. The difference is in the quality.
If I’m incompetent, then adding hours doesn’t help. If competent, then adding hours is unnecessary. My constant quest is to improve quality in all that I do, sometimes resulting in less time spent. This is not a short cut; but rather enables me to help a greater number of clients.
Each client is unique. I’ve never trained or coached clients in exactly the same way. I begin with a thorough needs assessment of each client; and this determines the direction of my training and coaching. For example, I might spend a full hour discussing the true meaning, purpose, or significance of one particular interview question, if that question poses a unique concern or problem for the client.
I don’t view my responsibility as merely a one week, six weeks, or even six months of training and coaching. With each client, I seek to establish a life-long commitment to a supportive relationship to ensure that a client achieves his / her life and career goals. The client pays nothing additional for this life-long mentoring relationship.
My fees are competitive within our industry. In fact, I prefer that the client sets the fee. However, I believe I give far more than what is expected of me; and I’m constantly searching for ways to improve and do even more. Do I do this for some noble or altruistic reason? No. Actually I do it for myself. One of my important life goals is to make a significant difference in the lives and careers of hundreds of people. I want to leave my mark that I have achieved something truly significant to validate that my life had meaning.
I am very fortunate in that I really don’t need additional income. Therefore, my self-promotion is not about selling anything. Rather, I have much to give; and I’m just looking for takers. Some fees are necessary to cover expenses; however, clients need to pay a credible fee for their own good to ensure their commitment to the process. It’s all very psychological.
People tend to think that something free or cheap has little or no value. It
has to do with psychology or paradigms perhaps. I have a friend barber who actually doubled his rates and increased his client base by 20%. It was the same haircut, but now it had greater value.
I initially got into this business in order to give something back for my very full life experience. I offered my services free of charge and got not one single taker. Then when I attached a healthy fee, the calls started coming in. Ironic, isn’t it?
Sales and Marketing professional
At times just the peace of mind….but that’s plenty, isn’t it !
Office Manager at AXIS Integrated Solutions
I would suggest reading The Fred Factor. It’s a short book and amazing. Perhaps if people did more than they were paid for, it will lead them to more pay. Before you buy a car you test drive it – right? Before you purchase a home you walk through it and maybe even have an inspection done – right? As an employer – wouldn’t you want your staff to show you their worth first? Any good employer will reward you with a bonus or a raise. If they don’t you need to move on until you find one that does.
In the past, I have left companies who gave me raving reviews during “review time” – or better yet a better title yet didn’t give me a raise. First you have to know your worth – go the extra step in your job and you will be rewarded. If not by your current employer than by a worthy employer. Don’t sell yourself short by doing only what you’re paid for.
Anger Management/executive Coaching for Physicians
During the mid-eighties, I received a $500,000 per year contract with AMTRAX by providing a complete Psychiatric Assessment on one person in a timely fashion and faxing the results of that assessment by to AMTRAX all within a 6 hour period.
I received a contract for United Airlines by offering more during a consultation on stress management than was requested.
I received a contract from Xerox by providing free educational assessments for child dependants of Xerox employees who were seen by my wife and myself in psychotherapy.
I pride myself on always doing more than is required.
Office Manager Informatica- Independent Travel consultant: www.onlinetravelhero.com
I was raised old school- respect your parents, look people straight in the eye, hold yourself in confidence and do what you say you are going to do – always.
I hold those values true each and everyday. I always believed in the pay it forward system, help others and expect nothing in return. Listen and watch those around you in order to learn and grow.
Without going into the hardships of why…..I struggled for many years working 2 and sometimes 3 jobs, but I listened to people, I was always there to assist, there was never a job or person beneath me. I strived to be a person that everyone could always count on. Take in point when I was employed by a temp agency, although my skill sets were directed to a higher administrative position, the agency knew that I would take mail-room, receptionist or lower positions at anytime they called me, after all, why sit at home and do nothing?
This helped the agency keep its relationship with the client and often times led me to longer, better assignments and opened many doors for me. I gained exposure to multiple industries and learned so many on-the-job skills which only boosted my resume. I was able to develop long standing friendships and mentors with several Executives over the years, and with those relationships I have always been sought after with some fabulous companies.
I built a reputation that I am proud of, that I am someone that you can trust, someone that will always help with the best solutions possible, I am the person who will get the job done, no matter what needs to be done. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty (so to speak).
Taking the lesser-paying jobs taught me so much more than I could ever learn in college. I learned the value of hard work, how to develop meaningful relationships, total appreciation for all that comes into my life. Yes, there are a few less glamorous jobs not highlighted on my resume, but believe me they were highlights of my LIFE because of the lessons learned
Litigation, Arbitration, Trial, and Appellate Attorney
This happened in my first police misconduct trial in federal court. I was retained by a woman who was unlawfully strip-searched by
New York City police officers. I worked for her on a contingency basis. During discovery I found evidence including a directive that “henceforth all women arrested will be strip-searched” and “all people will be strip-searched” I read this to the jury, which awarded an unprecedented punitive damages award of $5 million against the City and very modest actual damages. The verdict made page one of the Times, with a comment that the City could face insolvency if all the people unlawfully strip-searched (65,000) received the same verdict as my client. The Mayor held a press conference to reassure the City that my verdict would be reversed on appeal of the punitive damages award. My own research showed me that my chances of winning the appeal were less than ten percent. I told my spouse we would never see the money and not to spend it. Nevertheless I worked all-out on the appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. While we lost, there was a concurring opinion that the U.S. Supreme Court should reconsider the issue because my client’s position was more sound based on economics and policy considerations. Again with little expectation of success, I worked intensely on a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. The petition was denied. Per hour put in, my earnings were negligible. This case made me successful because I used every ounce of my ability, drive and professionalism to serve my client in a cause I believed in, in which the cause freedom and human dignity would be furthered and where I stood to have the prospect of personal gain. I knew that I could handle a federal jury trial and get a jury to give a multimillion dollar verdict, and appeals against the best City Law Department attorneys. Although I didn’t realize it when I put in the work, subsequently it led to additional clients and settlements by the City that chose not to take its cases with me to trial.
Manager, Customer Service at Comcast University
Once when I was talking to a mentor of mine about moving up in the workplace, he asked me what I thought to be a very odd question. He asked me, “If you were to get promoted to [position X], what would other people in the organization say about it? Would they all think that you were totally deserving of that promotion, or would they wonder why you got it?”
That statement caused me to stop considering what I think of myself, and start thinking about how I am perceived. And not that it is about putting on some show in order to try to make yourself look better than you are, but we do have to ask ourselves what other people see when the think about us.
Related to the question of doing more than you are paid to do, I certainly find it easier to move up in an organization when you are already performing at the level that you are striving for. So if success is being defined as promotion and other forms of recognition, then it means that is important to recognize what it take to get to that next level. With that said, I believe that it is more important to be good at what you want to become, than it is to be great at what you already are.
The problem is that self-centeredness drives people into a attitude of entitlement, and a mindset that says that they deserve a promotion (or whatever) because they are good at what they do. It is this attitude of entitlement that gives people permission to only do what they are paid to do, nothing more, nothing less. And they may be very good at what they do, but the problem is that they are not taking the opportunity to show others that they can do the added things that would be required at that next level.
Therefore, stepping out and working and living “above” what you already do give you the opportunity to showcase what you are capable of. And when your peers see you operating at that next level, there is no question as to who deserves that promotion because they can see that in essence you already ARE that next level, and not have to try to imagine that you COULD BE that next level.
Senior Technical Recruiter
Recently I asked a hiring manager “if you could ask a question of all the candidates while I’m screening them for you – what would that be?”
The hiring manager, “What are the three top things that motivate you to go beyond the call of duty?”
That was a few days ago and I kept that question bouncing around in my mind. What would MY answer be to that question? I was analyzing this question – not from what someone would want to hear, but what was it that really motivated me to work harder or longer. I came up with this:
- Prestige
- Comparison/Competition
- Reward/Compensation
I picked prestige as my number one motivation because I am always proudest of my efforts when treated as though my results really matter. My contribution has to elevate my value to the company.
I liked to be compared. Weird, huh? My nature is to always to outperform. If I have to work on my own time to make up for a short coming – I do it without question. If you had a good day and made 30 phone calls – I will make 35. If you have 5 placements in a month – I’m going to go for 7. So comparisons drive me.
Last, compensation. Yes. I like being paid well. But again, it goes back to prestige and comparison/competition. I like to out earn my co-workers and competitors. And, I like to know that I’m out earning them. Several years ago, I was selling Mac computers in Nevada and the buying agent for the
University of
Nevada decided to do a little independent salary survey on technology salespeople in
Nevada. When he finished, he told me that I was the highest earning of the 30 or so people that he’d surveyed. He told me that I was earning over double the next closest competitor, and three times the average. To me, this justified the extra hours that I put into my work.
International tax consultant and newspaper columnist
I believe in exceeding expectations. Even if success does not come by way of a huge bonus or a promotion, going that extra mile does make me smile (sorry couldn’t resist that rhyme). It brings me satisfaction. Further I end up learning and experiencing more, which proves beneficial in the current job, in the next one, in life, in general.
Helping Creative Businesses Organize Their Chaos
When I do more than what I’m paid for, it is rarely because of financial incentives. It is a personal choice for my own benefit. There have been times in my career where I had been asked to come up with a new system for document control or produce new database systems to manage the influx of data and activity within multi-million dollar projects. I took these occasions as a personal challenge to my own intelligence. I did research and testing on my own time to the point that I was working out problems in my sleep.
I was not offered a promotion, bonus, or perks for my actions. However, I gained something much more: Experience. I was able to add to my skills talents and software training that I would never have been able to claim prior. This in itself was a definite self-esteem booster. I taught myself that I could figure out most anything if I put my whole mind, body, and soul into it.
Now I’m not saying that financial incentives are not necessary or appreciated. I just believe that if I expect everyone I meet to value my skills and talents as highly as I do, I will be sorely disappointed especially financially. Their actions and opinions of my worth and contribution will never be the cornerstone on which I base my happiness. If I did, I’d probably be one sad and uneducated woman.
Innovative Security Strategist
Doing more than you are “Paid-For” is a very interesting concept. As a manager of salaried employees, I have to question what job do they consider themselves “paid-for.” There are plenty of times that either myself or my employees are required to work non standard business hours to accomplish objectives within the organization, and almost always they are willing to do it (note the difference between willing and happy to do it).
In life it is ideal to work an 8 to 5 job, with no weekend or overtime work but honestly this isn’t practical for anyone that ever wants to feel successful with the work that they do. In fact it is those extra hours, or that extra time that generally make a completed task or finished product all the more satisfying. Then after have one of these satisfying experiences if you love what you do you will seek out and crave more of these experiences. There is a buzzword term that is often overused called “empowering management.” The unfortunate thing about this term is the fact that it is overused, and as a result commonly misunderstood. Empowering Management to me is defined as employing the correct people for the correct positions, showing them the value of the products or services they deliver, and giving them enough rope to accomplish these goals. If people feel they are accountable (in a good way not a bad way) for the objectives they are required to achieve, then “doing More Than What You Are Paid For” become less about work for the company and more about work as a object of personal achievement.
However, be warned that without proper recognition for these achievements (not necessarily financial reward), this “proud of my achievement” attitude can quickly digress back to the “I Do More Work Than I Am Paid-For” mentality.
Internet and Information Society expert, UNAM
The extra effort and result would have to result in positive payback; within your organization, for the broad recognition you will get, and outside the organization, for the good you will be doing.
Promotions may hit a ceiling but then, it may be that you’ve outgrown your organization or at least some petty mentalities in it. That will be the time to start moving out and getting paid for what you are really doing!
The main motivation for doing more than what you are paid for must, however, remain non-pecuniary. You do it because of a moral imperative, to serve, to do the most good you can.
Creative and Fun Strategic Leader with expertise in financial management, customer service, and inspiring teams
This seems so obvious that I can’t believe more people don’t do it. They would rather complain about how much they do rather than produce.
I have heard that you should always dress for the job you want to have. I think that work is the same way. Whenever I can, I take on work that is “beyond me.” The biggest example was when I was a financial reporting manager and we acquired part of a company. That company wanted to maintain a relationship for a period of time with a third party shipping and billing company. The problem is that the shipments, invoices and payment were all in one system. We received copies of the invoices and checks for “our products.” I offered to create an Access db to track and process all of these transactions. This was used for about six months and a few years later when the other company complained that we were stealing their accounts receivable, we were able to use my database to prove that we were right and they were wrong. None of this was even close to in my job description, but it kept us from a million dollar lawsuit.
Add your insights and opinions in the comments section below!
Success Stories are part of my Success Through Balance approach to life. I believe that Success comes from living a balanced life. You can read more about being successful and the skills required here.
Keyword Related posts:
