We all know how competitive the corporate environment of today is. All companies are stepping up their game to stay ahead of their competitors and no corporation can afford to lag behind in this fierce race. And the only people who can ensure that a company is running successfully and is achieving the desired success are the team members. And this, particularly, includes the youngsters who are working in the corporate and public sectors.
Entering into the corporate environment is a challenge in itself and with so much of competition that revolves around this sector, the pressure to excel is paramount. This is why I believe that only those who are willing to work with passion, explore new ideas, come out of their comfort zone and push to learn and adapt should enter into the corporate or public sectors. They should work with passion and if that is lacking, then they should explore other options.
Go the extra mile
An employee who is willing to go the extra mile is a gem for any company. There aren’t many who are actually willing to put in the extra effort but those who do are an invaluable asset to an organization. I’d like to share a story that sums this up quite perfectly.
Two brothers joined a company together a few months after their graduation from university.
After a few years of work, their Manager promoted elder one to a position of Senior Sales Manager, but younger remained in his entry level Junior Sales Officer position.
He developed a sense of jealousy and disgruntlement, but continued working anyway.
One day he felt that he could not work with elder brother anymore. He wrote his resignation letter, but before he submitted it to the Manager, he complained that Management did not value hard working staff, but only promoted only the favoured!
The Manager knew that he worked very hard for the years he had spent at the company; even harder than elder one and therefore he deserved the promotion. So in order to help him to realize this, the Manager gave him a task.
“Go and find out if anyone is selling water melons in town?”
He returned and said, “yes there is someone!”
The Manager asked, “how much per kg?” He drove back to town to ask and then returned to inform the Manager; “they are Rs 13.50 per kg!”
The Manager told him, “I will give your elder brother the same task that I gave you.
So the Manager said to elder, in the presence of younger ; “Go and find out if anyone is selling water melons in town?”
He went to find out and on his return he said:”Manager, there is only one person selling water melons in the whole town. The cost is Rs 49.00 each water melon and Rs 32,50 for a half melon. He sells them at Rs 13.50 per kg when sliced. He has in his stock 93 melons, each one weighing about 7kg.
He has a farm and can supply us with melons for the next 4 months at a rate of 102 melons per day at Rs 27.00 per melon; this includes delivery. The melons appear fresh and red with good quality, and they taste better than the ones we sold last year. He has his own slicing machine and is willing to slice for us free of charge. We need to strike a deal with him before 10 a. m tomorrow and we will be sure of beating last year’s profits in melons by Rs 223 . This will contribute positively to our overall performance as it will add a minimum of 3.78% to our current overall sales target.
I have put this information down in writing and is available on spreadsheet. Please let me know if you need it as I can send it to you in fifteen minutes.”
Younger one was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and elder one . He decided not to resign but to learn from him. Let this story help us keep in mind the importance of going an extra mile in all our endeavors.
You won’t be rewarded for doing what you’re meant to do, you only get a salary for that! You’re only rewarded for going an extra mile; performing beyond expectations.
To be successful in life you must be observant, proactive and willing to do more, think more, have a more holistic perspective and go beyond the call of duty!!!
Successful people don’t simply stop with their job. They are attentive, proactive and willing to think out of the box, explore more options and go beyond the call of their duty. And this is why they achieve the success they deserve. If you, on the other hand, are content with just submitting your work and you feel it’s not your duty to do anything beyond that, then you are in fact restricting yourself from latching on to promotions and amazing new prospects.
Let me explain a scenario for you. An individual is pulling a heavily laden cart forward and it joined by another person who helps him to push it. Then comes along a person who casually tries to help them but ends up making no difference. To this group, then enters a person who actually slows down the process of pulling the cart and to add to the trouble, another person joins the group who actively tries his best to stop the cart from being pulled. Do you think that this team can be successful if there are even a couple of people involved who deter the progress of the rest? Obviously, such individuals who pose as a threat to a company’s success needs to be eliminated.
Every company has employees who fall into one of these categories:
- The Performer
He/she takes the work seriously and has a clear vision as to where to go and what direction to take and pushes towards achieving those goals. You could call them go-getters. Such people take complete responsibility of their job roles and they benefit the company greatly.
- The Highly Effective Doer
They are willing to learn, work and improve themselves. They may need a slight push and with the right training and guidance, such people will soon become a future performer.
- The Less Effective Doer
These individuals are somewhat willing to help but they don’t put in their full effort. As a result, their contributions are not making much difference to the overall results.
- PTS (Potential Trouble Source)
These are the people who alternate between helping and destroying a company and naturally, such people’s influence makes it harder for the other members to work.
- SP (Suppressive Person)
Such people are detrimental to an organization as they are actively involved in destroying the work operations. Not many managers may notice this as such people hide their deeds behind a ‘nice’ social mask. However, if undetected, such employees can be a very dangerous threat to a company.
Therefore, for a company to move positively in the path of success, destructive people should be removed from the organization and the productive ones should be encouraged and motivated to perform better. If you have a team of productive members and even if they don’t amount to a large number, they can positively contribute to a company’s overall success.
Have the right mindset
Having a mind swirling with negativity can adversely impact any work environment. Stay away from people who have a negative mindset and de-motivate others as well. Their negativity can rub on to you and destroy your performance as well.
Take calculated decisions
One wrong decision can be enough to destroy a company so always, always ensure that you take carefully calculated decisions at work. Always think in the interest of the company and be far sighted as to the outcomes of your decisions.
Focus on time management
There is a fine line between being a dedicated worker and being a workaholic. While it’s beneficial to work at your very best for your company, you need to manage your time between work and family as well. Staying late and working isn’t the right solution because that would mean abandoning your family. So ensure that there is a healthy balance between your work and family life.
Be a team player
When you join a company, it is no more only about yourself; you are now a member of an extended team and their success means your success as well. So always encourage your colleagues, be empathetic towards them and whenever possible, lend a helping hand to them.
Take the lead
If you are waiting until someone takes the lead, that time may never come, so it’s up to you to stand up and take the lead. If you have an idea that can help your company, then take the initiative and let your manager know about it.
Ragulan Tharmakulasingam 