Going The Extra Mile - Doing More Than What is Expected
You must give to get. That's an established social law in civilized society. It's based on the Law of Reciprocity - when you give something to someone they will feel obligated to give something in return.
Have you ever done someone a favor, told them you asked for nothing in return at the moment...then 'cashed in that favor' at a later date?
Or, someone did something for you and when you offered to pay or return the favor they said "no worries, there will be a time when I need and then I'll call"?
Or, as here on steemit, you've seen that when you write interesting and useful posts you receive upvotes and steems and resteems?
Sometimes, you are paid for your work later. When doing work for which you're being paid, the reward is the interest on that payment: referrals, returning customers, goodwill among people in your network, and more.
As a Success Principle, rooted in personal improvement, we can use this principle to ensure that our attitude is to be of service (while also doing a job that we're being paid to do). By doing so we increase our confidence, gain the respect of others, and are remembered for our work. It's not done with a mindset of "I'll give so that I can get", but instead, as part of your value system that says "I have something to offer others and when possible I'll do more than asked because...I can...and because it feels good to do so".
When we are doing work that we love to do we are at our best. And when we are doing are best work we tend to do more than people expect. I've done this many times throughout my career and as a business owner.
When I was a field systems engineer working on automated systems on factory floors, I often stayed longer and did more than expected -because I loved what I was doing! It wasn't for the pay - I was salary, so the hours weren't counted (so to speak). It wasn't for recognition because often no one knew I had stayed an extra 3 hours to fix the front end sprocket system so it wouldn't break down for a long time. It was because 1. I loved what I was doing and lost track of time and 2. I wanted to make sure that the job I did was done so well that I wouldn't need to come back - which means the customer could stay up and running and not lose money from lack of production.
As a writer, I research and write educational/informational articles for a variety of customers in diverse industries. They're expecting basic headlines with some generic supporting material. I give them fun headlines and material supported by research, sometimes including references and other times writing in a more conversational tone that reflects their style. Why? Because I love research and when I find interesting things to put in the article I do it.
There are numerous examples I could give, but let me tell you the benefit of Doing More Than Expected and of Going the Extra Mile:
- I have gained the respect of my peers and my superiors. They consider me to be a reliable resource, the 'go to' person for information, research, and more.
- I get referrals from my customers.
- I feel good about the work I do.
- Because I feel good, get referrals, and have the respect of influential people - my network is filled with interesting, influential, successful people.
Don't think about what you will get because you give a bit more. Just do it and you will reap unexpected, and welcomed rewards.