“One of the most important principles of success is developing the habit of going the extra mile.” – Napoleon Hill
If you want to get ahead, the answer is to go the extra mile. Going the extra mile means surpassing expectations – not just by ticking all the boxes, but by completing additional goals that can help you to achieve even more.
Renowned international author Dr Wayne W. Dyer once said that “It’s never crowded along the extra mile”. Dyer’s point is that not many people put in the extra effort needed to surpass expectations. That means if you go the extra mile, you’ll not just achieve more, you’ll also stand out.
Going the extra mile doesn’t necessarily mean working more hours or investing more money. These actions will help, but surpassing expectations can be as simple as thinking outside of the box. When you’re presented with a task, ask yourself – what can I do to go further?
You should also ask yourself – what do people want or need? What are others doing to fulfil those needs? What can I do to stand out, and provide that something extra?
When I was a college adjunct instructor, students who asked for additional reference or practice materials or showed up early to class to ask questions demonstrated a willingness to go the extra mile. These students consistently scored higher marks on exams, year over year. And they were the first students to step in and help their classmates in explaining difficult material.
In business, it’s just common sense that the more committed people are to their work, the more they’re going to put in and the more your business will get out. The evidence bears this out: engagement levels predict profitability. In The Extra Mile: How to Engage People, authors David MacLeod and Chris Brady comprehensively address the issue of building competitive edge by harnessing the energies of an engaged workforce. The Extra Mile is the result of four years of research into engagement by a joint team from Cass Business School and Towers Perrin. This ambitious, wide-ranging project drew on the results of various studies and surveys which together totaled 33 million respondents.
In my own experience, it was critically important that I understood how my efforts fit into the overall mission of an organization and to the team. By feeling invested, I was more inclined to expand my time and attention to the work.
How can you go the extra mile in everyday life?
Observe and act in your daily life. What do you see? What drives you crazy? And what are you doing about it? It irritates me when I see trash on the floor. I choose to practice the discipline of going the extra mile by picking up the trash instead of waiting for someone else to take care of it. Doesn’t matter if no one notices. This simple response is an opportunity for me to go the extra mile. Painlessly.
