BAW Ep. 11: Should you go the extra mile?

Work is work, yes. A lot of people work simply to get by, pay the bills, and enjoy the stability. And when I say I respect that, I really mean it. If you're that kind of a person, you might not have any business reading this. Simply being what you are and doing what you do are enough and you do you.

However, I believe if you're reading this, you're ambitious, or you at least want to advance in your career on your effort. And to do so, you want to be better than yourself yesterday, hence why you're here. And to all of you with this spirit, I tell you this; the short answer to the question is,

YES, and NO.

It's kind of frustrating to get this kind of an answer, right? We want a definitive answer, a clear-cut decision, and an unambiguous option. However, as you'd find much of the life is; it's not that simple.

When is it YES?

When you see your colleagues are rewarded for their performance

Notice how I said performance, and not hardwork? Why, though? Well, if you read my previous article, being and looking busy (hence hardworking) is not a sustainable nor it is a smart way to assess one's contributions and effectiveness. Putting in long hours just because you want to be seen as hardworking is not the way. Even if you think putting in more hours just to be seen as hardworking, know that it will just eventually tire you out and will backfire.

But, if you see any of your colleagues being highly effective, constantly delivering, constantly giving great results are promoted or granted a raise, then that is a good sign that the management is a great one and they reward people for their impact. In this case, you should plan to go the extra mile.

But...

On the contrary, you should not go the extra mile when you see and hear that people at your workplace haven't been assessed based on their performance and/or nobody had been promoted or given a raise based on their actual effectiveness and performance. If the office politics is so bad that the wrong people are being given a raise and promoted, then it's a telltale sign that going the extra mile is moot.

When your initiatives are looked at

You might have a new proposal you're working on. Something big that you think would awe your manager and the whole team. You break your bones and work your sweat off to prepare this presentation in hopes to be recognized and eventually promoted or at least given a raise and praise when the time comes, or even earlier.

You might think this is a meritocratic way to climb your way up. But, let me tell you, in a purely logical world, it is. However, ours is far from being only logical. It is on contrary, highly emotional. People make conclusions and decisions mostly from their emotion and surprising everybody with that kind of move might invite jealousy, envy, and even hatred for stepping over your boundaries.

Start small. Start by giving some ideas in meetings and in discussions. See how the team and the boss respond to your ideas. Are they dismissed without any explanation, or are they being included in considerations? Will they welcome more of your ideas, or will they try to shut you down?

if your ideas are entertained, accepted, or at least rebutted with good justifications, then continue on doing so and increase the frequency and size over time i.e going the extra mile.

But...

If they seemed to be generally negative towards your forwardness in contributing ideas, then stick to your guns and do what you do. Some organizations, some teams, some individuals are just that immature. So immature that they refuse to acknowledge good ideas just because it came from somebody more junior and hence more inexperienced than them.

Believe me, you shouldn't waste your effort to try and change the team or the organization. It is an uphill battle. You can be yourself and not propagate the toxic culture yourself, but changing others? Well, good luck.

If you're in this kind of a situation, just do what you need to do. Clock in, clock out, put in the exact amount of expected hours in, and go back and enjoy your pay. There's no need to expend your time and effort more trying to appease others when all the odds are against you.

Maybe prep your resume too? You're better elsewhere.

That's it. This article is relatively short, but I believe it would be beneficial for you. Don't waste your time going the extra mile when you shouldn't. Test the water before you jump in. Sip the soup before you take a spoonful. Fire bullets before you fire cannonballs. Find out whether it is worth your blood, sweat and tears.

If it is not, then yes, work is work. And ready your resume. When the time comes, go on and find a place where going the extra mile is appreciated and more importantly rewarded.

As always, good luck.