A couple of my colleagues have their laptops physically connected and wired, in other words, they don’t use a docking station. They never take their computers home. This is impossible for me because I’m often required to do additional work away from the office. Both of these co-workers are a higher level than me and therefore make significantly more.
As Americans, we are brought up believing that hard work will pay off. Don’t buy into that kind of thinking. I’m talking from experience here. One of my greatest mistakes in Corporate America has been going above and beyond the call of duty. So far, it has gotten me a mid-level manager position with longer hours and less pay than many of my peers. Being the go-to guy really hasn’t paid off for me, and it hasn’t paid off for a lot of other people I know.
The idea of being paid for performance is a myth. Sure, I know some sales people who are compensated for achieving goals, but the economy will always take a dive at some point, and things like a commission don’t really depend on hard work; instead, it’s more about being in the right place at the right time. My advice is to do what you’re supposed to do and nothing more. In the end, you’re not going to be compensated for working harder anyway.
A good example comes from one someone I have known for several years. She has told me that she works a total of 20 hours a week. She has no metrics that really matter, and is left alone to do pretty much whatever she wants. She also makes over a $100,000 a year—a very good salary for her age and her low-cost of living area. She is employed by a very well-known Fortune 500 company and has excellent job security. Meanwhile, I’m killing myself and doing absolutely nothing that’s going to advance my career.
The trick it to work smarter, not harder. And by smarter I don’t mean being more efficient or getting more things. What I mean is putting yourself in a position to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money. Think about it, if somebody is going to do less and get paid more, don’t you want that person to be you?