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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