Photo by Joshua Earle

Clients sometimes get frustrated with the seemingly lack of progress in advancing pay or promotion at work. Some say why bother to work hard at this job.

As Tony Robbins says, in one of my favorite old Power Talk!, Raise Your Standards, if you want to succeed in reaching a high level, you must perform at a high level no matter the position you hold currently.

For example, at my gym, there is an employee who no matter what he is doing, he is smiling. While performing his major duties, I see his scanning around to look at details – the floor for trash or a handle to wipe. This man is at the gym at least by 5:30 AM (when I arrive) and he has another job later that day. No matter, he is performing at top level.

When a new owner bought the gym, he was one of the very, very few who kept a position.

On the other hand, I knew another guy at one of my first jobs out of grad school who would always crank on me for staying late. He said, “I will work that hard when I get paid that well.”  I said, “You will get paid that well after you work that hard.”

Jim Rohn once said provide more value than being compensated. That extra effort will be paid back in multiples in many ways.

Always do your best no matter the position or the boss. Never turn in an assignment or submit a project unless you feel that you performed at the highest level possible. Even if the boss gets upset or reacts differently, it’s getting into the practice of doing the best you can do at every job. That habit will benefit you throughout your career.

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