Whether you are working at a job or running a business, if you want to get paid more, then there is one specific habit that you will need to establish. This one habit alone will work for you regardless of your current position or role.
Here it is…
Develop the habit of doing more than you are paid for.
At first glance, the sentence above may sound overly simple, but please don’t overlook it. By developing this one habit, you will make yourself stand out from the crowd. The important thing is to deliver more value than you are expected, even if you are working in a position you don’t particularly like.
Most people will either only do what’s in their job description or will try to get by doing the least amount of work possible. Choose to be different.
From Lowly Cashier to High-Paying Salesman
I unconsciously developed this habit of doing more work than paid for at one of my first jobs as a cashier at a retail electronics store. This job was rather unchallenging and I knew that I wasn’t going to be there long, but instead of just getting by with providing the bare minimum effort (which everyone else was doing), I found other ways to provide value to the company.
As a cashier, I was doing all kinds of extra work that others didn’t enjoy doing like retrieving all the shopping carts in the parking lot, refilling the vending machines, helping carry out heavy merchandize, dealing with angry customers, and even selling vacuums. One day while I was in action, one of the sales managers witnessed my initiative and moved me up right away to a significantly higher-paying role in tv sales.
A few important things to remember while developing this habit of doing more than you are paid for:
- Provide greater service to your company and customers without any expectation of immediate payment. Just know that one way or another you will eventually get financially reimbursed for your services; this may come from your current role or from other greater opportunities in the future.
- You may not receive immediate financial reimbursement, but you will experience immediate benefit from what it will make of you to deliver greater service. You will also receive immediate rewards in the form of happiness and satisfaction.
- You never know who’s watching and word of ambitious work spreads quickly. If you focus on consistently delivering more value than expected, you will certainly get noticed by someone who will appreciate your extra efforts.
- Be ready for the opportunities that you will be offered. By establishing a reputation of being a person who delivers greater service than paid for, you will naturally attract opportunities far greater than your current role. Act with courage and be open to new roles you’ve never considered before. As a cashier, I never even thought of getting into sales, but I accepted the position and still exercise many of the lessons I’ve learned since then.
By consistently planting seeds of greater service, you will eventually reap benefits from opportunities that will seem to sprout out of nowhere.
