The SBX Team is incredibly excited to debut this week’s blog post, How Going The Extra Mile Shortens The Trip, written by Lisa Lisson! No matter if you’re an employer, an employee, or self-employed; going the extra mile will always pay off. In a world full of technology and now the majority of the workforce working from home, our day to day continues to become dehumanized.
So, without further adieu, continue reading to explore the numerous ways on how you can go the extra mile.
I was taught, and firmly believe, that you only get out what you put in. I go the extra mile in everything I do. Some people think it takes too much time, but experience has taught me that going above and beyond will take you to your destination faster and improve your chances of winding up in the right place.
Think about how you feel when you’re on the phone trying to get through to your internet provider. You finally get through, you tell the rep your problem, and they say, “Sorry, can’t help you. It’s not our company policy.” Sometimes, though, you get a rep that goes out of their way to try to solve your problem. You’re so grateful to them for going the extra mile, you want to send them flowers and fill out a thousand happy face surveys on their behalf. Well, the same rule applies in the work world. Figure out how to go the extra mile and you’ll win hearts, minds, and promotions.
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Anticipate Needs
Managers love to knock things off their lists. If you want to get noticed for the right reasons (i.e. because you’re a team player who contributes to your team’s overall effectiveness as opposed to a showoff ingratiating yourself with your superiors), one of the best ways to do so is by anticipating a task on your manager’s to do list and taking care of it before you’re asked. Nothing brings a smile to a manager’s face faster than a team member who shows initiative.
When I became products and pricing manager, I was asked to come up with recommendations for locations for our new drop boxes. I decided to drive around and found various drop boxes pretty beaten up. I pulled a report and discovered some weren’t doing any volume —even though we were sending a courier out to them every day. When I presented my report, I didn’t just recommend locations for our new drop boxes, I suggested refurbishing the ones that needed repair and moving the poorly performing ones to higher volume locations. By going that extra mile, I showed my superiors I was already performing at the next level and conditioned them to see me as an obvious choice for promotion when an opportunity arose.
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Offer to Do More
Let your superiors know you’re willing to take on extra assignments and if they ask for someone to take on an action item during a meeting, make sure to volunteer. Be careful not to jump every time your superior asks or your peers will perceive you as too much of a keener. If you have a great idea, don’t just toss it off in a meeting. Go the extra mile by turning it into an action plan and present it to your manager. If you do, he or she will be more likely to think of you when an opportunity arises and guess who’ll be tapped to lead the next big project? Offering to do more landed me the chairmanship of my first global assignment, and it put me on the radar of the higher-ups.
The saying goes, “If you want something done, give the job to a busy person.” There’s a lot of truth in that adage. I find the more I take on, the more efficient I become, and the more I’m capable of handling. If you’re too stretched, you’ll know. Store that knowledge for next time and use it as your guide when you’re trying to decide how much you can reasonably handle. But if advancement is your goal, better to push yourself and moderate as needed than not push yourself at all.
About The Author:
Lisa Lisson, FedEx Express Canada President
As the president of FedEx Express Canada, Lisa Lisson has risen from an associate marketing specialist to one of Canada’s most powerful and influential transportation executives.
As the leader of over 10,000 employees across 64 locations, Lisa has helped build FedEx Express Canada into the most reliable courier network in the country, allowing consumers and businesses to connect Canada and the entire world with uncompromising speed and reliability.
Lisa has become a renowned public speaker in Canada and the United States for her revealing discussion about becoming the first woman and first Canadian president in FedEx Express Canada history. The sudden passing of her husband at a young age, raising their four children as a single mother, while building a successful career has enabled Lisa to acquire many insights and advice that she shares with her audiences with openness and frankness.
Under Lisa’s leadership, FedEx Express has consistently ranked highest among all transportation companies in Canada on leading published reputation indexes. In every year since Lisa was appointed president, FedEx Express Canada employees have rated FedEx as one of Canada’s best employers on the annual Aon Hewitt Best Employer’s in Canada Survey.
Lisa is an inductee to the Women’s Executive Network’s Hall of Fame as one of Canada’s most powerful women. She is a member of the IWFC Toronto Chapter and The Prosperity Project™ and is also one of 13 Diversity 50 CEOs. Lisa is also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her achievements and work in the community. Lisa is passionate about access to quality healthcare for all children and, in 2013, she joined the Board of the SickKids Foundation and serves as a Director of the Board for the Business Council of Canada. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons), University of Guelph.
Lisa starred on the award winning TV show “Undercover Boss” and is a best-selling author of a memoir called “Resilience”.
Interesting in hearing more from Lisa on her journey to success? You can visit her website here!
Be sure to check out our CEO CNNX session coming up on Wednesday, November 4th from 9-10:30AM where Lisa dives deep into Navigating Life and the Road to Success.
