Tip Of The Day #80 - The Lonely Extra Mile
Barbara Steckly
The Lonely Extra Mile
Quite often I will take a last look at my to-do list at the end of the day and, even though all my team members have left and I would be perfectly justified in saying I’ve done a full day’s work myself, I will still stay and complete just one more task.
Why do I push myself that little bit further all the time? Well, because, obviously, I am passionate about my business, the bookkeeping firm I have built from the ground up.
Also, I agree with mastermind, Steve Jobs, who sees this kind of “pure perseverance” as what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the not so much so.
According to Jobs, “Everyone says they go the extra mile. Almost no one actually does. Most people who do go there think, "Wait...no one else is here...why am I doing this?" And they leave, never to return.
That’s why the extra mile is such a lonely place.
That’s also why the extra mile is a place filled with opportunities.
Be early. Stay late. Make the extra phone call. Send the extra email. Do the extra research. Help a customer unload or unpack a shipment.
Don’t wait to be asked--offer. Don’t just tell employees what to do--show them what to do, and work beside them.
Erase the board of your accomplishments and allow yourself to be a beginner again.
Every time you do something, think of one extra thing you can do...especially if other people aren’t doing that extra thing.
Sure, it’s hard. But that’s what will make you different.
And over time, that’s what will make you incredibly successful.”
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