Reality is not reality. Perception is reality. When it comes

to your career you must always keep this in mind.

In other words, people will create a perception of you, and

it may not be justified or fair in your eyes. They may create a perception

about someone else that may not be justified or fair either.

Have you ever noticed people play favorites with people who

don’t deserve it? Maybe it is your parents with your sibling, or maybe it is a

sports coach, or teacher….or worst of all, your boss. We will all experience

this at one point in our lives.

In life we should not care what other people think. But in

our careers, we should care deeply about what other people think. Because other

people’s perception of us, directly correlates with our value, our

compensation, and position.

Ultimately you cannot control what other people think, BUT

you can influence the heck out of them.

One could teach an entire seminar on the different ways to

do this, but for this blog I want to concentrate on one specifically.

That is, showing up earlier, and leaving later…. than

everyone.

Now, the popular narrative today is “work life balance”.

Which is fine, you can probably adequately do your job within the normal 8am –

5pm window, and then you can enjoy your life.

Do not misconstrue what I am saying, you should enjoy your

life.

But you should also seek any opportunity to separate

yourself from the rest of the pack. There is a MASSIVE opportunity to do so, by

simply being there outside of the normal 8-5 window.

This opportunity is especially available to the young people

out there. Without being married, having children, a mortgage, and all of the

other responsibilities of adulthood in full swing, this is you time to take

advantage of this opportunity!

Most seasoned professionals I speak with have noticed that

new hires today tend to make a habit of showing up late and leaving early. They

think they are fooling someone when they say “there was an accident” on the way

in. Or that they “have a doctor’s appointment”, or “need to take their car to

the shop” or they “have a family event to go to”. At some point the excuses

become too common.

Eventually the truth is that they do not want to work the

full day, they want to come and go as they please because they do not prioritize

their job, the opportunity, or practicing the discipline required to maximize

their production.

That is large in part because they think the job is there to

serve them, instead of them being there to serve the job.

What many of us find hilarious is when these same people who

leave early, stay late, they expect to be compensated for every minute that

they spend past 5pm. Even when they are invited to a networking even with an

open bar!

Let me tell you this…stop seeking immediate compensation for

this time. The compensation will come but will come at a much later date. Think

of it this way, you are making a deposit…an investment that will be cashed in,

at sometime in the future.

When I was 22 years old working in NYC, I made a point of

this. I wanted everyone to know that I would be there when they arrived, and I

would still be there long after they left. Making that a habit helped forge

several relationships that just recently allowed me to cash in on my

investment!

I saw 5:00pm – 10:00pm as my opportunity to knock out any

tedious paperwork that I could not get to during the day and or be proactive on

such tasks that were not “due” but that I knew would be a time suck later.

Most importantly these were tasks that I knew would send

notifications and/or emails to my team. Including my boss. At the time they were

just a Project Manager.

One night around 9:00pm, I was the only person in the

office. Sending out my submittals per usual. I was working at a pace that meant

another email or notification would go out to the team every 5-10 minutes. Steady

from the 4:00pm hour.

My phone rang. It was my project manager. I answered and they

said, “um where are you right now”?

I said, “I am working”.

“Are you seriously still in the office?” they replied. they

knew I was. I suspected that someone had seen me before they left late.

“Yup still here, I just wanted to…” they cut me off.

“Leave, go home. You don’t need to be doing that right now” they

said.

They briefly went on to explain the importance of work life

balance. To which I replied, “I am ok, I don’t have anywhere to be, I want to

get this done and over deliver”.

Right then and there that set a perception. Was I working

hard? Yes. Was I working longer hours than almost everyone? Yes. But what if they

did not catch me? What if he had no idea? What if I made a mistake on something

and they chalked it up to me lacking diligence or being lazy?

Since then, they never had to question my work ethic because

that was a habit that I developed and that they knew they could rely on. More

importantly, my drive to over deliver did not just mean something to me, it

meant something to her. That would only enhance her ability to shine as a

manager. I became a valuable assert to her success. That is where you want to

be!

10+ years later when I need an advocate or a recommendation,

do you think they hesitate to do so on my behalf? Of course not. The only

difference now, is that advocacy is not coming from a project manager, it is

coming from a Vice President. That is where they have ascended to since that

night. That is a delayed return on my investment.

Again, this was a habit. It is important to note, that was

not just a one time occurrence. I did not stay late one time in my life and have

it pay off. This was a habit I developed for YEARS. I would easily put in 60+

hours a week on a regular basis. Again if nothing else, to be caught doing so.

Let me give you another example.

One night, I was doing the same thing, working late in NYC. Late

enough that I thought I started to see ghosts. I saw a conference room light on,

but I could not tell who was in there. Finally, after a few hours it opened. It

was the Chief Operations Officer. On his way out the door he scrunched his

eyebrows and looked up at me.

“Burning the midnight oil, are we?”

“Yes sir, someone has to get things done” I said.

He asked what project I was on and said, “thank you”. I

suspect he did so to ask who I was the following day.

Fast forward 2-years later. I was in an office in Boston

doing the same thing. Working late with one desk light on in an empty office.

It was about 9:00pm. I heard the wood floor creaking like someone was walking

toward me. I assumed it was a cleaner, until I heard a booming voice. There he

was again, the Chief Operations Officer.

“Mr. Eisenhauer are on you nights, or are you always working

this late?”

Again, caught in the act of doing what other people are not

willing to do. Taking advantage of an opportunity to separate myself. To

think…I was only caught because he forgot his coat before he left to take a high-profile

client out to dinner. I did not even know he was in town.

As a result of these occurrences, I always had this man as a

mentor. When other people wished they could get face time with him, let alone

have a positive interaction with him, he would make time for me.

On several occasions he would spend 45 minutes to an hour on

the phone with me, talking me through career options. When he would visit

Boston he would sit down in a conference room with me, and take time out of a

packed schedule, to tell me what he truly thought was best for me. Not

necessarily the company.

I know that my career has risen faster because of these

types of relationships. These relationships that are predicated on a perception

of value that others saw in myself.  I

know that more people at high levels are aware of who I am and the value I

bring, or at least the perception of the value that I bring to the table. I

have been afforded amazing opportunities, far ahead of others at my age because

of it.

It is not a coincidence that I received midyear raises and

bonuses in my early 20s when no other employees did. It is not a coincidence

that I received opportunities to be a leader at an earlier age than other

people did. It is not a coincidence that high level individuals showed

gratitude and genuine interest and investment in the growth of my career. It is

not a coincidence that I was always in the showcase.

I am not saying that you must work your life away in order

to achieve success. I am saying there is an opportunity there to put in the

work, to put in the time, that other people are not willing to do.

Not only is the opportunity easier to take advantage of

early on in your career but the return on that investment will pay out much

higher dividends in the long run.

When it comes to creating a perception of exceptional value

for yourself, 3 things are certain.

1.      

Your career will grant you more gratitude, present

you with high profile opportunities, and provide you with a top tier salary…all

far ahead of your peers, far ahead of the average bear.

2.      

You will develop long lasting discipline. Your

half speed wil be better than other peoples full speed. You will have more accomplished

by Tuesday than others will all week. In times of crisis or chaos, when others

waver, you will continue to bring value. In other words, your worst day is

still better than most people’s best days. People can count on you.

3.      

You will have freedom. Any doubt of the effort

you put in will be eliminated. You will have an autonomy where people are not

looking over your shoulder. Constantly checking in on you, counting the hours

that you are at your desk. Because they know if you need to leave early today,

or took a long lunch break, or had a fun day planned…you will do what ever it

takes to get it done. Even if that means working through the night.

That is how you obtain a career that you can be proud of.

That is how you obtain an upper class lifestyle.

That is how you obtain freedom.

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