Benefits and Traps Of Going The Extra Mile In Business

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Always doing ‘The Extra 10%’ can launch your business up to a new level. Or it can leave you burnt out and your team frustrated. 

Wait. What IS “the extra 10%”?

Well, it’s that extra effort you put into everything you do. It’s the thing you do that completely surpasses the expectations of the people around you; clients, team members, partners, investors and board members alike. It’s that extra push of effort you put in, even AFTER you feel completely wiped.

Doing the extra 10% keeps you miles ahead of your competition, it gains you powerful loyalty with clients and it inspires your team to be the best they can be.

But Careful, there are limits!

Sometimes I can be a bit obsessive, and other times I can take things a little bit too literally. There was a time where I latched onto the concept of putting in the extra 10% so much that I nearly burnt myself out completely.

I was ‘going the extra mile’, on top of the extra mile, on top of the extra mile, perpetually. I wouldn’t stop pushing, and the next thing I knew I was wiped, verging on burn out.

To me, I define burnout as “waking up in the morning and just not giving a damn anymore”.

It’s a terrible feeling. I got into business because I loved it. I pushed myself and my team hard because I felt passionately about what we were doing. And then one day I woke up and didn’t care anymore. I looked into the mirror and just saw a hollow, exhausted face looking back at me. It scared the crap out of me how low my energy was at that point.

Lesson:

Pick your battles, and give yourself the extra 10% as well.

Going the extra mile in business

People notice when you do the extra 10%. It will stand out and get you recognised. It’s going to pay dividends when it comes to client loyalty, team loyalty, team motivation, quality of product, your reputation, how much fear it inspires in the hearts of your enemies, and more.

It makes you a better person because every time you push yourself that extra little bit you become that much better. You learn to persevere and push passed your own mental blocks.

When you’re exhausted and everything feels like it’s falling apart, just do a little more. One more step. When 100 clients say ‘no’, you find the best on your 101st try.

The good vibes will ripple out to teammates. Let me share a personal story as an example.

Walk the talk

There was this one time where my team was getting burnt out, no surprise there because upper management was consistently clocking 60-hour weeks. We were struggling, it was a tough season, margins were lower, it was a very competitive year and somehow we had to get through it.

We knew we didn’t want to just crawl across the finish line, which is why we were working so hard! We wanted to rocket across the finish line and have a great year!

I had to take a step back and ask myself questions like:

“What do I do to motivate these people who are already working so hard?”

“How do I help my team work harder, go farther, and accomplish more?”

“How can I encourage them to keep their chin up and keep moving?”

The best thing I could think to do was to push myself harder and to be there for them at the frontline, leading by example.

To whatever capacity you can, “be the change you want to see in the world.” (Mahatma Gandi)

The positive energy and hard-working vibes I injected spread to my team and we rallied to close off one of our most successful years ever. So don’t be shy, walk the talk and show your team how you want them to behave.  

Do it! 

Go that extra mile yourself!

You’re worth the extra 10% too

Take care of yourself first, and you’ll be in a better position to help others afterwards.

I’m suggesting you apply this concept to yourself and not just to your business. Give yourself the care, the rest, the self-love you need to be the best version of yourself that you can be. The extra 10% applies to every area of your life including family time, fulfilling your dreams, playing music, hiking, personal development, meditation, whatever’s important to you.

“You’ve got to give yourself everything you need to grow, and you need to give yourself a reason to continue pushing so hard. Give yourself a reward.”

Give yourself and your own development that extra 10%. Try to find more and more ways to let that bright, positive entrepreneurial light inside of you out into the world. Read, go to workshops, hire a professional support team, do whatever you need to do.

Recommended Read: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There By Marshall Goldsmith

We’re going to keep getting success after success after success until we hit this point where we plateau. We have to do something to break out from under that ceiling. You can do this by becoming a better person, leader, and always putting that extra 10% into your personal development.

As you grow and fill yourself up, that will spill over into your professional life as well.

Traps of doing the extra 10%

Just as there are benefits for going the extra mile, there are definite traps as well if you don’t monitor yourself. Here are some of the things I’ve learned along the way.

1. Don’t burn yourself out

You can do the extra 10% on top of the extra 10% on top of more, but you don’t want to go there. You’ve got to check in with your personal health along the way.

I’ve skirted near-burnout three times. It’s hard to say but I definitely hit some levels of energy drain I’m not proud of.

It’s this weird psychological thing, something in you switches. That’s a dangerous place to be when you’re a leader.

“There’s a fine line between working really hard and overworking, and only you know where that line is for yourself.” 

Check in with yourself, meditate, turn your phone off, go camping for a bit, spend time with your family, go play with your kids, go see a sports game. Balance yourself. Do whatever you need to do. If you see burnout happening with a team member, encourage them to do the same.

When you show up at worked gassed and burnt out, what do you think your management team is going to feel? What will the impact be on your leadership?

Side note: In other articles and videos we’ll talk about automating your business so this doesn’t happen. 

Show up happy with a balanced life and a happy family, then go to your team and say, ‘how can I help you?’ That’s one of the great keys to inspired leadership. Take care of yourself and then help others too.

The energy that radiates out of this happy place has a positive effect to move you and your team forward. So get there, keep it up and don’t burn out.

2. Don’t let it affect your ego

You could go around talking about all the extra stuff you did, and how much more you did. 

Avoid, at all costs, phrases that sound anything like “I worked harder than you” when trying to inspire people. Saying things like that will just make them feel bad and resent you. Unless you’re dealing with a dysfunctional team member, of course, in which case maybe you need to replace them. 

You’ve got to push harder for the right reasons. Don’t let your ego be your motivation or your beneficiary. It will mess up your head and your team.

When you do the extra 10%, ultimately we want the rest of your team motivated and inspired to do the same, not guilted into it, not shamed into it. Check where your motives lie.

If anything in this article made sense for you and struck a chord, check out my other articles.

Don’t forget you can book a free call with me, we’ll chat 1-on-1 about your business, trade ideas or you can ask for advice. Book your call here and let’s talk!