The Extra-Mile Pays Yes it was not your job! You thought it was somebody-else job. You were too thoughtless to realize that nobody was doing what somebody could have done. What a failure mentality. A famous CEO needed a deputy, he had three of his most competent staff on the shortlist but how was he going to make a final choice from the three? Each of them could do the job excellently and so he decided to put them to a test. He wrote an appointment letter, tied it up in a plastic bag with a stone in side then dropped it to the bottom of a bucket filled with some stale and extraordinarily stinking water. He placed the bucket at a corner in the room in which his shortlisted staff worked and sent all the janitors on a holiday. That bucket was there for three days and none of the guys touched it. They knew something terribly smelled but did nothing. Let’s take a closer look at the three men. James is that kind of a guy who thinks the world should bow down before him because he is indispensable in a prestigious company and exceptionally gifted. He does just what he is told and excellently – a quality that has saved him from trouble each time he steps on people’s toes. Jude on the other hand, has the same traits with James except for not being too boastful. Even though his is a high performer, he is equally a dedicated clock-watcher. By the time the office clock announces the close of the day, Jude would already be at the door steps on his way home. Paul on his part is equally very competent and much more, he always goes beyond himself to get those around him satisfied. Often he would walk up to the boss to ask if there was something more to do before retiring home. He had this special touch and the fact that he added a little icing on the cake made him to win the love of many admirers. On the fifth day, the room had gotten really stuffy and unbearable. The bucket of stale waster still stood at the same position where the CEO left it. The three had been complaining, cursing but nobody took the pains to find out what was happening. Paul in his usual proactive manner went about that morning searching the room for what could be stinking while the others stayed aloof as usual. That’s how he came upon the bucket. He quickly took it aside, cleaned the already unbearable room and took the bucket outside. He threw the water and was about leaving when he noticed a plastic bundle. Stopping over and covering his nose with one hand, he picked up what was going to make his day the best ever. He untied in and read the following message “… if you are reading this note, you have been promoted to the rank of deputy CEO of Athanasius Oil Investments. Meet the CEO for your new directives.” This is the point, until you learn to do much more than you are paid to do, real achievements will keep on distancing themselves from you. Paul had developed the habit of doing much more than he was paid for and it paid him off. Not only did he become the boss to his two former mates, he was now winning and dining with the top brass of his company and the executive world at large. His two colleagues combed the office for the next couple of months hunting for their own pot of gold but unfortunately for them, the rains had stopped and the rainbow was gone. Going the extra-mile as a habit always pays. Jesus Christ during his sermon on the mount encouraged this when He said as recorded in Matthew 5:41(NIV) “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 05:07:39 +0000
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