Exceed the Bare Minimum: It always rubbed me the wrong way when people I worked for would say they wanted me to “do a little extra” or “exceed expectations”. Like if you want, to see 20 pieces of flair, why not make 20 pieces the minimum, right? Don’t ask for 5 widgets and then get bent outta shape when I hand you those 5 widgets, right? Just tell me what you want and I’ll do it, right?!
WRONG
Leadership is there to serve as your guide and to make the decisions that affect more than just you. They are not there to act as your personal Jiminy Cricket, looking over your shoulder every minute. No two people are the same, not one person is even the same from one day to the next, so don’t go around measuring your own output, (or lack thereof) according to what someone else is doing. That’s the only reason the minimum is there: not as a finish line, but as a baseline for what you bring to this team.
Because everyone is different, everyone will have something different to offer besides their ability to achieve the bare minimum. Some might be new to the field, but very motivating and energetic. Some might be quiet and focused, but still the unparalleled subject-matter expert.
As for you, if you’re not trying and failing until you find your niche, you’re cheating your team and you’re selling yourself short. So don’t try to tell anyone, including yourself , that The Bare Minimum is all you’ve got in the tank, do more, BE MORE…. be the person your social media followers think you are.
…and hurry up about it, it’s not like the market is growing for un-special people.
Quote of the Day
“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.”
Charles F Kettering
