Going The Extra Mile

There is nothing more rewarding than finding a person who sincerely enjoys going the extra mile.  It is such a rare characteristic to discover in today's human being that it is refreshing when it is witnessed.  If I am out and about doing some business somewhere I tend to notice when someone has the 'extra mile' behavior.  I might see someone walking along and nonchalantly bend over to pick up some stray trash as they are walking along in a parking lot.  Then later I see that same person make some quicker steps to get to a door sooner so they can hold it open for someone else as both of them enter a building.  I might change my mission and work to position myself to watch that person a little bit more.  I will make an effort to change my path, while staying back out of sight, but still pay attention to the little things they do that prove they have the 'extra mile' behavior embedded into their characteristics.  If they have the habit down, I will work to meet them.  I am very interested in people that have these tendencies.  I have a selfish motive.  They make excellent employees.

Extra mile people are a rarity today.  The world has become so self-centered that many folks have skipped doing anything for someone else without the feeling that they need to be rewarded.  Very few people actually do the 'extra mile' stuff because ti is the right thing to do.  Most people that go the 'extra mile' do so because they believe they will receive an additional reward for practicing the act.  Very few people actually develop the extra mile behavior because it is the right thing to do.  That is usually the last reason why someone goes the extra mile.  It is extremely rare to find people that go the extra mile because that is how they are wired.  Those are the rare people I try to find.  I prefer to insert a group of these kinds of people working in my environments.  They generally give the customers more than what the customers tend to expect.  That is a very good thing to have aboard your business ship.  Extra mile people have no problem serving well.

I wonder how many business leaders stop to actually evaluate how much their employees go the extra mile?  I do not mean that we should check out how much they 'brown nose' the boss by doing little noticeable extra effort things to impress the boss.  I am talking about the behind the scenes stuff that they do that will never become noticed.  When they walk into the warehouse do they stop to move a sharp item out of the way of danger?  Do they head to the restroom and notice the door sign is not hanging on the door securely and do they stop to fix it?  Do they empty the trash near the lobby because it is full when they go by it?  What kind of extra mile stuff do they do that gets unnoticed?  Do they think ahead and anticipate future outcomes to prevent wrong potentials?  Is their mind working to solve future problems?  Extra mile people do these kinds of things.  It becomes part of their natural ways.  They add value to the little things they see and do.  They do those added valued things and expect nothing in return.  They do those extra things without any additional regard for added compensation.  It is how they are wired.  Like I said, they are rare.

I am not one of those 'extra mile' people.  However, I know one when I see one.  They do not offend me by doing what they do.  I do not feel challenged when I meet someone who goes the extra mile naturally.  Some leaders become offended by the process.  I have seen business leaders who become actually intimidated by others who naturally go the extra mile.  I have seen union leaders try to slow the extra mile person down because they make all of the other employees look bad.  Extra mile people can quietly en site a small rebellion from the other workers and employees.  I have seen it happen.  They stand out in a working crowd like a helium balloon.  That is another reason why I like to hire them.  They indirectly motivate the other employees to take a closer look at their own performances.  If handled respectfully, this kind of productivity check and balance technique works very well.  I like the results that usually appear.

If a leader decides to use an 'extra mile' person to help motivate the other employees, be respectful applying that process.  Keep in mind, a great deal of personal respect needs to accompany the application of this kind of productivity technique.  The extra mile person does not need to become the sacrificial lamb, nor do the other employees need to be treated as fools.  Be effective with this kind of technique but remain respectful and use careful intentions.  I usually add a lot of transparency to the mix which helps everyone realize how much I prefer productivity.  Nobody needs to question my motives.  I prefer improved productivity.  Everyone knows that.  I do not keep that desire a secret.  When I insert an 'extra miler' into a non-product circle of workers, I make sure the dynamics do not catch on fire.  Fuel will burn quickly if an ignition strikes at the wrong time.  Pay close attention to these kinds of dynamic moves.

There are some additional aspects about the extra mile worker.  One of which is somewhat consistent.  That aspect is related to how promotions are usually generated.  Promotions are rare in the world of business today.  Most of the lack for employment promotions or monetary raises are part of the results caused by today's stressed economics that are spilling all over this world.  However, where promotions and economic raises have occurred most of them can be traced to the direct relationship between the person getting the raise and the acts of going the extra mile.  It has been my observation that this kind of pattern is usually where the most promotions and monetary raises occur.  We call that kind of association a tremendous clue.  We consider it a tip.  I sometimes wonder how many employees want such a promotion and are not willing to 'give' of themselves to earn it?  We have grown up into a world of self-conceitedness that we have lost the sight of how this principle really works.  The idea that we are entitled to automatically receive a reward has taken over.  This also explains why it has become so rare to find extra mile employees.  They do not feel that their efforts will earn what their rewards should deliver.  This gap has grown larger with time.  Therefore, being so rare, I will quietly track down someone who reveals these traits in the way they move in their innocent ways.  I like to find extra mile people.

How do you truly know if you are an extra miler?

I was sitting with my wife in a small restaurant having a hot cup of mocha.  Two kids were selling Girl Scout cookies outside the window on the side walk.  I was watching each of them work the crowd.  One girl was shy and the other one was out-going.  It reminded me of our own children when they were growing up.  My wife and the girls did the same thing a couple of years in a row.  In fact, one of my daughters was the out-going one.  She is the one who checked out the catalog of prizes that could be won if enough sales were generated.  She checked that prize catalog out long before she ordered the cookies to sell.  She had her eyes set on the prize well before she hit the streets.

The second daughter was more quiet in her ways.  She would just as soon sit back and hand the boxes out when the people passing by described which cookies they would buy.  She did make sure they got a clean box with no broken cookies, however.  She just did not enjoy doing the selling part.  I saw the same scenario happening with these two little girls outside that coffee shop.  It looked so familiar.  My wife and I made comments about the comparisons.  It brought back some good memories.  (On a side note:  The real key to all great business success comes wrapped up near the value of the relationships you build in the process of growing your business.  I hope everyone continues to remember this critical component of long term success.  Relationships are key!)  Back to the story.

This coffee shop experience brought back the memories about the ways our children developed.  One child was the type who recognized a prize, how to set a goal to get that prize and how to do the work to achieve that goal.  The other was the type of child who internally knew how the 'extra mile' would help her to produce the right kinds of results.  She became a great server.  Both children have finished college with honors and good working careers.  Both still operate in the ways they developed.  Each receives nice rewards for the work they do.  One is a natural extra miler while the other one manufactures her extra mile efforts.  Both systems work well in the rewards world.

A good manager of business will recognize these two traits.  The bottom line is that the 'extra mile' is where the best productivity will occur.  Find people who understand and practice this kind of display in their working patterns.  Be very wary of those who describe how they act this way.  Neither one of my children will actually describe how they go the 'extra mile.'  Usually a true 'extra miler' will not recognize how they have this trait mastered.  It is performed from their hearts instead of their heads, even the one who knows how to structurally produce it.  A true 'extra miler' is built from the inside out.  They are not built from the outside in.  The employees who work extra hard on impressing me with how they go the extra mile when I am around their influence are usually the ones who have built their extra mile efforts from the outside in.  Be careful falling for this act.  These are usually the employees who do not perform well in the dark.  When nobody is looking, they slough off.  Their extra mile stuff is only an act of attention.  They will not be found picking up stray garbage in the mall parking lot, unless of course you are walking next to them.

Be very specific who you hire.  There is a major difference between valuable workers and wanna be's.  Surround your business with valuable people, not the ones who tickle your ears and work the popularity scene.  This kind of employment success comes from you knowing who you are and what you are truly trying to achieve.  It will also help you to reveal how well you perform your own 'extra mile' effort.  If you do not serve your people very well, neither will you know how to hire one.  It comes from you.  It does not come from them.  You set the tone.  You set the atmosphere.  You set the pace.  You set the respect that honors this kind of performance and productivity.  It comes from you.  Are you an 'extra mile' leader?  Maybe it is time you become more rare.  Maybe you need to improve how you perform the extra mile stuff.  Maybe your serving skills need some polishing up.  You may need to perform this process like my second daughter did it.  Find out what you want, how you need to get it and set your sites on making sure you do what it takes to get it.  You can manufacture your own extra mile skills.  Just make sure you build it from the inside out.

Until next time...