The Secret to Getting Ahead: Do Your Job

Okay, so admit it — after my preamble about “Ambitious Mondays” you got all revved up like Daniel did in “The Karate Kid” when he heard Mr. Miyagi was going to teach him the art of karate. Okay, maybe you didn’t, but I’m giving you something to think about that may be akin to washing and waxing cars this week.

You may not like the New England Patriots, but you have to respect the management acumen of their head coach Bill Belichick.  He is the anti-Rex Ryan (the over the top coach of the NY Jets) if there ever was one:  boring, seemingly lacking personality, and stand offish.  Yet, unlike Rex Ryan, Belichick’s teams know how to get to and win big games (unless, it seems, they are playing the NY Giants….ouch!). They do it by following a very simple rule that seems like common sense:  DO YOUR JOB.

Think about it.  There are 53 players on an active NFL roster. At one time, there are 11 guys on the field on offense, and 11 guys on the field on defense.  They are lead by a head coach, an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator, and a number of assistant coaches based on position. Sure, the Patriots have a star QB who’s married to a super-model, but he is just one player. Make no mistake: the Patriots do not win games unless everyone, from starter to practice team player to strength coach to team doctor to head coach, simply focuses on doing their job.

So how does this apply to you?  Too often people get distracted by the things going on around them:  this person getting a raise, that person getting a new title, a boss that is totally “unfair” or “incompetent”, a co-worker that doesn’t like you, the promotion you “deserved” but didn’t get, a deal that didn’t close, a product that doesn’t work, an unrealistic delivery date, lack of resources, family matters (not the old TV show, btw), etc. You can probably come up with a list of your own.  It’s human nature that we are affected by these things from time to time.  But I guarantee you, the executive teams running most successful companies are not made up of (nor do they value in their organization) people who spent much time worrying about what everyone else around them was or was not doing.  They are made up of people who excelled in their roles regardless of the distractions, challenges, or obstacles they have faced.

Sometimes even the most ambitious, talented people get derailed by all of this noise and forget what it is they are getting paid to do: THEIR JOB.  So how do you avoid falling into the trap yourself?  Here are a few things that work for me:

1. Know what your job is.  Seems simple, right?  Nope. Too often, people are not aligned with their bosses/management on what is they are expected to do on a day to day basis. Think in football terms:  on every play, the coaches expect each player on the team to know exactly where they are supposed to be, what they should be watching, and how they are contributing to the team’s success. Make sure you understand what your job really entails (not just what the title says on your business card).
2. Understand what constitutes success for both you AND the company. Okay, now that you know what it is you do, do you know how to do it well? Having a clear understanding of the duties/objectives that both you and your boss together have set that leads to a positive outcome for you and the company is critical.  Remember, like Bill Belichick, management teams generally do not value people who are solely focused on their own personal gains.  Ask questions so you can learn how what you are doing is aligned with the larger strategic success of your boss, your group and the company. Don’t worry about what your co-workers are doing — own this plan for you to contribute to the team’s success. You don’t have to wait until review time to get this clarity if you don’t have it, and it doesn’t have to be formal. Simply putting together 3-5 bullets that will act as a blueprint should be enough.  In football, the offense knows that the primary objective on 3rd and long is to get a first down, but they also know that in some situations getting enough yards for a field goal try can equal success as well.
3. Execute to maximize your success.  You know what’s expected, you know what the success factors are, now all you have to do is DO YOUR JOB.  Easy, right?  Minimize any activities that do not contribute to you achieving (and exceeding) your objectives. If you are having difficulty focusing on those activities that will contribute most to you meeting your objectives, you need to swiftly recognize when it is occurring and assess why. Maybe the company’s overall objectives have changed, causing you to have to tweak your objectives accordingly. Perhaps you need to become more disciplined or focused in your approach. Are you spending too much time on things that you may “like” doing, but are not necessarily part of your game plan? Remember, from the moment you arrive at work until the moment you leave, the only thing that management really values is whether or not you are executing and achieving success. Unlike 3rd grade rec soccer, trophies are not awarded to everyone simply for showing up.

Seems simple, doesn’t it?  In football, it’s easy to understand why teams like the Patriots are seemingly among the best year in and year out, despite their changing rosters.  In business, it is no different.  You want a spot on the executive team? DO YOUR JOB.

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