Always strive to provide more value than you are paid for.
Treat your job like a business transaction
Many people have this belief that they should not take on more responsibility until they are promoted. Let’s think about how a business tends to operate and approach your career with that in mind.
Businesses look for value at all times. Anywhere they can find an arbitrage opportunity (meaning they can get more value from something than the market price would suggest), they will seize that opportunity and do it again and again until the advantage disappears.
Example: I am an online entrepreneur and I find out that a warehouse full of widgets is selling at a price of $10 each, but I have a market for these widgets where I can sell them for $20 each. I will buy that entire warehouse and sell every single one of them. This would likely drive the price down until I get to the point of zero economic profit – at which point I would cease to sell them.
So how does this apply to your career? In order to become indispensable at your company, no matter what the size or what type of business, you need to always provide more value than you are paid for. The business recognizes your value and will promote you until the point that you are no longer doing so – but you’re a Phoenix, so you’ll continue to outperform!
My Approach
A. Availability Builds Trust
If I got called in for overtime, I answered. When I began with my company I lived only about two miles from the factory. As soon as I started, I made it clear to my shift supervisor as well as the others that I wanted to work.
Anytime I was called for an overtime opportunity, I showed up. Day or night. Weekday or weekend. Holidays. I didn’t care. I was in my mid-twenties with no wife (although my girlfriend wasn’t always thrilled about it), no children and I was living in a new city. I became reliable, which made me visible. Now across all four shifts, everyone knew that if they were in a pinch there was a guy right around the corner that would show up and get the job done.
B. Curiosity Signals Growth Potential
If there was an opportunity to learn something new, I was right there asking questions. Early on, I made a conscious decision to be the best I could possibly be in my new job. Initially, this just meant showing up on time, keeping my area clean, ensuring that I was taking care of all quality checks, etc. As time went on, I would see mechanics working on the equipment when it was broken down and I began just striking up a conversation with them:
“Hey so what went wrong with this?”
“Do you think that suction cup is worn out?”
“The vacuum pressure seems low. Do you think the filter is just plugged?”
Initially, my guesses were wrong but the guys I worked with were very generous about answering my questions. They recognized that I wasn’t just getting through my hours. I was there to learn. They actually loved that I was genuinely curious about the work they were doing. Because of this, when a position opened up as a Packaging Technician they sung my praises and spoke to the supervisors about how I would be a good fit. They were both my mentors and my advocates.
Three weeks after I started the job as Packaging Operator (a job I didn’t feel qualified for initially), I was promoted to Packaging Technician. Again I didn’t feel qualified, but I persisted. At the risk of sounding like a braggart I believe that within three or four months I was pretty well known as being the best troubleshooter on that packaging line.
C. Purpose Beyond the Paycheck
I made it my life’s purpose to show I was ready for more than the place I was in. I knew I could offer more than my first job’s responsibilities. I was doing everything I could to prove that to everyone around me. I wasn’t just clocking in. I was building a reputation. One-by-one over the next several years I watched many people sit stagnant in their positions or quit while my trajectory continued upward. I knew I wasn’t finished. I still know this today.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t wait to be asked — approach people that know more than you and ask them to be involved in projects. You’ll be surprised at how willing people are to share what they know if you are friendly and curious.
- Treat every task, no matter how small, as a chance to prove yourself.
- The best time to start preparing for your next role is the first day in your current one. Don’t wait until there is an opening for a promotion to start showing up.
Final Thoughts It’s hard to put myself back in that place now. The most significant moment I remember is making the decision that if this was my work right now, I was going to be the best I could possibly be at it. So I want to encourage each of you. If you feel like you are stuck, like your job is a dead-end. Dive in. Be the best you can possibly be at that job no matter how menial it seems. Ask for more. More opportunities to learn. More of the crap work no one wants to do. Do more than you are paid for and eventually, you will see your pay increase as a result.