How Going the Extra Mile Can Pay Off

When I detailed how I turned a career award into a big career boost, I left out one important item -- the fact that it took a lot of extra effort to apply for the award and I was highly tempted to let the opportunity pass.

The application was long and difficult to fill out. It was several pages, required charts/data to back up my claims, and needed to be written in a concise yet clear manner (in other words, I was going to have to write and re-write a few times.) As you might imagine, applying for awards was not part of my job description, so if I wanted to submit my accomplishments I had to do it on my own time.

And that's when I found myself on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, sitting at my kitchen table with four or five hours of work ahead of me for an award I thought I had little chance of getting. I was within an inch of forgetting it and going outside to enjoy my day.

But something made me keep going. Perhaps it was a drive to succeed, the thought that maybe I could win, or simply pure stubbornness. Whatever it was, it kept me going through the hours of writing and data collection needed to complete a winning proposal. It wasn't easy -- I wanted to quit several times along the way -- but I persevered. And eventually I reaped big rewards for it.

I wonder how my life and career would be different if I hadn't gone the extra mile to do this. Or what if someone else who was better qualified had gone through instead of giving up as I wanted to do? How would each of our lives have been different? It's an interesting question.

This whole topic was brought up a couple weeks ago when a friend of mine told me he had just made the Law Review at his school. He had barely missed making it based on grades (you had to be in the top 5% to automatically get in -- he's in the top 10%), but he had the chance to try and "write in" -- submitting a long (20 pages), detailed legal piece that demonstrated what he had to offer the Review. The question was, would he do it?

Imagine the situation he and others found themselves in: They had just completed a grueling first year of law school. They had just completed their arduous final exams and projects. They had a summer of rest and internships ahead of them -- plenty of other things to consider and deal with. Some of them (including my friend) had families who they probably hadn't seen much in the past months. How easy would it have been to blow off the written application and move on to the next phase of life? Pretty stinking easy.

And I'm guessing that's what most people did. My friend didn't tell me how many people took up the challenge, but it probably wasn't many. Why would I reach this conclusion? Look at the situation. How many would persevere and voluntarily subject themselves to such a tough task considering what they had just gone through and what they were about to experience? Not many.

But my friend did. He fought the same demons I did those many years ago, completed the project, and was accepted to the Law Review. No one knows yet how this will impact his career, but it's a pretty solid guess that it will be a major, positive contribution -- at least in getting him to the next level. He'll have an advantage over other graduates that could result in a higher starting salary, a better job, a more sought-after employer, etc. In other words, it's likely he'll jump-start his career from the get-go. And starting off on such a positive note is a great way to supercharge your career (and thus your income.) It's not much of a stretch to think that this one move could end up reaping him hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra income over the course of his career.

He has the potential to reap this reward because he kept at an unpleasant task, fought through the temptation to ditch it, and went the extra mile. Was it worth it? Time will tell. But my guess is that it will be well worth it. Did it look like it was worth it before he went through the process? Maybe, maybe not. But he kept going on and that short period of struggle will now likely benefit him for the rest of his career.

So, consider this a reminder that going the extra mile to do what others won't do can pay off big for your career. What similar opportunities like this do you have in your life? What's keeping you from seizing them?

Comments

[tom]

I think the same lesson can be applied to the job market. If you see an opening for a job that you are not necessarily qualified for on paper, but you know you could be successful, then do your research, tailor your resume and cover letter and apply!

You never know what will happen. Maybe they are looking for someone like you, but have to add the other qualifications due to HR legal issues.

[Everyday Tips]

Great lesson! I bet you look back often and are so grateful you put the time and effort into that.

For me it was applying for a scholarship in grad school. I surprisingly got a scholarship from Intel that I totally didn't expect to get, and that money helped tremendously.

[[email protected]]

Law review write-on. Everyone that has decent enough grades does it, despite being beat to hell from exams. If you want a job, it's a gold star on your resume.

[Old Limey]

For me the big one came after I retired, when I was spending 7 days/week and long hours for two years, writing a large mutual fund analysis software program and the 300 page manual that went with it. I was glad when it was finally over but the subsequent payoffs have been huge for me. Not only did it bring great financial rewards but it also helped a large number of other people to improve their investment performance, particularly from 1995 when I finished it, through March 2000 when the markets made their all time highs. It was also a labor of love, I enjoyed it immensely though it was a big relief when it was over, particularly for my very supportive wife who helped with the filling of orders.
I venture to say that all successful people have "Gone the extra mile" many times in their life.

[Tyler]

The difference between the top 5% and the rest is the details. They work a little harder and a little smarter, but that minor effort puts them into the top. That extra effort produces exponential returns. There's nothing worse than working average and being average.

[Budgeting in the Fun Stuff]

I'm usually the person who blows off the tasks that may help but seem arduous. Starting my own blog and keeping to the standards and schedule that I laid out for myself in February has been my biggest nod to going that extra mile.

Not only did you and your friend spend the time to accomplish your goal, you two also get to have that awesome feeling of accomplishment...I know I do...

[JB]

Actually many awards exist through professional organizations that go unclaimed because no one applies for them. Most organizations are VERY interested in receiving applications for awards because they want to give them out! I'm the chair of a local professional organization, we get many MANY calls from the national organization for submissions for awards. Our local group has about 800 members, of them about 50 are actually consistantly active. Within the active pool we pretty much know everyone, and if we know of someone who fits an award we'll even help the person apply for it. (if your local section member wins a national award it makes your local section look good) If someone who was active knew of an award that fit him and approached me about being submitted for it, I would absolutely support our organization helping him apply for the award. As long as he was willing to do the leg work associated with putting the application together, we would be willing to review it and scrub it to give him the best possibility of winning. Get involved in your local professional organizations - it will help you get known in the local community, and you can win some nice awards!