Going the extra mile: take this 30-day challenge and see what happens next!

By Marianne Renner: Leadership Coach, Speaker, Author

I remember years ago my dad telling me, “it doesn’t matter what you do, but always do your best.” I was talking with someone recently who was telling me about new responsibilities being added to his work. He was doing a great job of not only meeting the demands of the job, but exceeding them.

I encouraged him to keep charging forward even though it was at times difficult. When some people might dig in their heels and say, “that’s not my job, I’m not doing that,” he’s stepping up. I told him to think of this time as an opportunity – a job interview. Anytime you go the extra mile, above-and-beyond, exceeding expectations, those actions will pay great rewards.

If you’re in a position where your business isn’t performing the way you’d like, or you feel you have not been promoted to the job you want, or you didn’t get the role for which you interviewed, ask yourself, “where can I go the extra mile? How can I exceed the expectations? How can I perform a function that is not likely to be part of the everyday expectations of my job description?”

Or as a business owner, “what can I do that I haven’t done before?” You’ve probably heard the saying that successful people do what unsuccessful people don’t want to do. Successful people don’t want to do them either, but they keep their goal in mind and go the extra mile because they know it will pay off.

Try this for 30 days and watch the results. Volunteer for projects you wouldn’t normally do. Offer to help a colleague who has a heavy workload. Spend an hour every day on the telephone building relationships and making sales calls instead of hiding behind the comfort of social media. I guarantee you that after 30 days, you will see results. You will earn greater respect from peers, leaders and those whom you supervise. People will treat you more kindly. You will feel more empowered, and opportunities that you never expected will appear. It’ll be a great way to start the new year.