Gimme gimme and then I will perform. I hear this all to often, especially in the work force. People who believe that the way to climb the proverbial ladder is to demand more money or title, and only after they get the raise/promotion their performance will increase. This is fundamentally backwards and can build big resentment between you and your boss/coach. Think about it in terms of athletes, would it make sense for them to say, "give me the Gold Medal and then I will perform like a gold medal athlete." Of course not, that's ridiculous! Athletes need discipline and hard work to improve themselves every day to work towards their goal. So why should anyone in any other profession or schooling think otherwise? Golfers, for example, have to work on their game everyday and play in tournament after tournament for years before they might have a chance to win a tournament and receive a Million dollar prize payout.
Work hard and take on more, without expectation, and the reward will come. There is so much pessimism in the world today that we can sometimes receive ridicule from friends or peers questioning why we're working so hard. Don't let these negative people bring you down, besides, they're probably the ones not getting ahead and they have no idea why. Persevere and keep going, knowing the reward will come. You MUST to go beyond the bare minimum and perform at your maximum. At work, proactively turn yourself into a resource for your peers and network so that you become the go-to person in one area or on as many topics as you can. Don't let not knowing be a barrier, teach yourself a new skill or take a course.
Not all managers, bosses and companies are good at rewarding their people for higher performance, a sad but true fact. It is possible you won't get rewarded for doing more, but before you make a change it is a very good idea to look at the situation from your boss' point of view. Are you actually doing more or are you doing what your position requires but have maybe had a miscommunication of expectations. Sit down with your boss, clarify your work expectations and get on the same page, which if done well using a win/win mindset could lead to your boss understanding exactly what you're taking on and possibly a raise and/or promotion. Just remember, if you are in a situation where you're not going to be rewarded for taking on more that you have a choice. A choice to stay or leave.
"If you build it, they will come." This is a great line from the movie Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner and speaks well to this topic. Think of this line when it comes to anything you want to achieve success in; your career, a sport, a hobby or something off your bucket list. let's break down this line... Think of "build" as "work hard at", if you're going to build something substantial then it will take at lot of work. Then think of "it" as "success", in whatever you want to be successful in. Lastly, think of "they" again as success. So this famous line can be translated to "if you work hard at success, success will come."
Yet again, all this comes down to your choice. Go make it happen!
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