By ‘Uju Onwuzulike

“Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something”…Anonymous

When you ask your colleagues or employees if they desire more pay or salary increase, you are likely to get a resounding yes. As an employee, is it wrong to desire an increase in salary? No, it is not wrong. The same goes to the CEOs and executives in organisations, they want improved profitability.

The catalyst that will propel both the needs of employees and executives (that is seeking for more money or increased profitability) is not by mere wishing. It is not by having a compelling vision statement; it is not by wishful thinking, it is not by trying to outdo your competitor or investing so much in transformation. The catalyst is propelled when every employee decides to go the extra mile for the customers and for the organisation.

During one of the trainings I had for an Engineering firm, an employee said to me, Sir, but I do my work very well, that means that I have gone the extra mile. I responded to him by saying No, you have not gone the extra mile for your organisation. You have just done the basis – the least that is expected of you. The confusion here is that some employees thought that doing their assignments or task well means that they are going the extra mile.

At the first instance, employees were employed to do their assignments well. When you do as a staff, you have just achieved an average mark. The danger here is that no organisation can achieve sterling results with just an average performance. They will end up having average or less than average results and this will not bring the desired increase in pay that employees want or the increased profitability that executives want. Then who is to be blamed? The real growth comes when expectations are exceeded and not when an average or basic results are met.

Going the extra mile means doing more than is required from you. It starts when you decide to make a difference in your workplace. Over the years, I have been a proponent of the following : don’t just do what you do, don’t just go to work, don’t just serve customers, but make a difference while doing what you do, while working for your organisation, and finally while serving the customer.

With the challenges businesses are facing today, it will be more difficult to grow profitability by serving the customers with the basis. The customers need more than that, and any organisation that can give them more will be their preferred. Spending time and resources to win customers over is one, going the extra for them and making a difference in their lives take the business to the next level.

The true life story of my friend is an example of what going the extra mile can do for an organisation. Despite being an operation staff in a bank, he went all out to talk to someone that his CEO was not able to win over to the bank. He knew the customer one on one. In less than ten minutes discussions with the prospect, he won the customer over to the bank.

Remember, the CEO tried to win him over but did not succeed, but someone who was not a marketer but went the extra was able to achieve what the CEO could not achieve. What my friend did was a clear example of what we can do individually to help our organisations achieve its goals. The good news is that we are not expected to do everything, but we are expected to do something in a different way – that makes the difference!

Points to ponder:

We do not have the growth of our organisation in mind when we have the power to bring more business or introduce better ways of doing things – but simply because we were not in the department responsible for those things we decide to bury our contributions.

We should not just do things for the customers for doing sake; we MUST make a difference while serving all the time. What did you do last week to make a difference for your organisation? All employees should have at least three-four activities that will make a difference for the customers on weekly basis.

To have enduring results across board, employees should always focus on doing more for the customer. Going the extra mile is always less stressful but comes after a decision to make a difference in all you do.

Final note:

As employees, below average or average appraisal ratings may not make one exceptional (and usually may not bring promotion). When we have “exceed expectation ratings” even before the promotions or the rewards, we are happy for ourselves. Organisations are also happy when they exceed their growth target. But exceeding one’s target comes with a price – doing more than is required from you. When you do, you will be happy with yourself and you will be celebrated.