In many companies, it used to be more common than it is today… people who routinely “went the extra mile”… in other words, they put in more than was expected of them, time after time after time.
While many people dash out the door when quitting time arrives, the extra-milers work until the job is finished, no matter how long it’ll take… because they feel they owe it to the company, to the job itself, and to themselves.
These folks never settle for “good” when “best” will do. They never choose mediocrity – they always choose quality. They never sit at their desks, watching the clock tick off the hours in the workday – because what’s most important to them is delivering quality, every time, every day. If they get done on time, they go home on time – most of them have families who depend on them giving the extra mile at home, too. If they need to get up earlier, they get up earlier. If they need to get off later, they do that, too. But more than that, they are usually the people who work the hardest, and smartest, in the office, all the day long.
The extra-milers are usually well-known around the office. They’re the people who others turn to when something needs to get done. They are those dedicated souls who form the backbone of the company – the part of the company that keeps it upright and functioning.
So how can you become a second miler? It’s not just working longer, it’s a mental switch, deciding that for you, second best is just not good enough… and you’re so committed to what you’re doing that you will ensure it’s going to be done right… each and every time.
Companies usually don’t honor second-milers as much as they should. In fact, in altogether too many companies, managers aren’t of the “second mile” variety – they’re more of the “half-mile” type. But to the real second-milers, the job itself is reward… and the knowledge that they are making a difference, to themselves and others as well.
While some often fall short of even one-mile, true leaders are almost always second-mile people. They honor those who make a difference and pay them for their contributions. Being a second-miler him or herself, a true leader can see the “half-milers,” the “quarter-milers,” and the “inchers” for what they are.
Should you be a second-mile person? Do you care about what you do? Do you care about how you do it? Are you a leader (or a leader in training)?
You’re probably already a second-mile person… or you soon will be.
Congratulations. The other people are a long distance behind you.
TERRY Talks 