“When you do more than you’re paid for, eventually you’ll be paid for more than you do” —ZigZiglar

In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive world, simply meeting the minimum requirements of your job description may no longer be enough to thrive and succeed. When you are too irritated to take up responsibilities that are not in your job description, you will always short-circuit your ability to grow and expand beyond your current role.

We often hear excuses like: ‘It wasn’t in my job description’, ‘Nobody told me I was going to do that’, ‘I don’t have the skill set for that one’. A job description should be a guide and not a destination! Most times, the problems that God has called us to solve will require a set of skills and experiences that are way beyond our present roles and job descriptions.

One of my mentees asked this question some years ago: ,“Please sir, in the three years that I have worked at this company, my job responsibilities have grown, but I am not getting compensated for them financially. How do I handle this?” My reply is this: One of the best benefits in your place of work isn’t the salary you are earning but who you are becoming! If not for anything, exceed your job description for personal and professional development and not necessarily for the financial benefit.

My previous boss had always been a great source of inspiration to me in my career journey.

He had knowledge in virtually anything and this was borne out of his many years of taking up roles that were beyond his job description. Today, he runs a global educational institution with the knowledge he accumulated through many years of exposure to roles beyond his job description. If you want to remain a salary earner, then keep limiting yourself to your present roles but if you want to become an employer of labour, you will need skills and exposure beyond your current roles.

I currently made a career shift in 2024 and my new role has virtually nothing to do with my previous role in my last place of work. I made a shift from an Academic director to a Business Operation director. I would never had been able to cope with my present role if I had never gone beyond my previous role description. I had previously taken up some volunteering roles with Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF)and the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and they came up handy for me in my present role.

Your next level and future roles will put a demand beyond skills and duties in your present place of work! Go extra mile when it comes to taking responsibilities and it will undoubtedly equip you better for future roles as it happened in my own case.

No matter what your chosen career is, going the extra mile will always put you ahead of others. Always render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be. Building great businesses, achieving massive goals and rising to the top of your profession doesn’t just happen by accident. It happens through an incredible ridiculous work ethic and an unapologetic drive to always go the extra mile.There is someone else that wants your job and they are willing to go extra mile to have it!

Charles Kendall Adams once said, “No one ever attains success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction”. Successful people have lots of useful habits, and going the extra mile daily is one of them. What is the extra mile? The extra mile is when you do more than what is required, and you put your all into whatever you are doing. Unfortunately, most people do not follow this. Why? Because they aren’t being paid to do it, but what they don’t realize is that it does pay in the long run. You just don’t see it at first. Napoleon Hill said, “It is as true as that night follows day, that the man who does more than he is paid for, and does it in a pleasant mental attitude, sooner or later is paid for more than he does”.

Gary Ryan Blair said, “It’s simply not enough to just show up and do your work. Superior performance is not, never has been, nor will it ever be, the by-product of ordinary efforts.” The habit of going extra mile will always put you ahead of others and also make you attract new business and new opportunities. If you want to really excel in business, school, relationship and life, go the extra mile. Give the people around you – your customers, your boss, your team, your family – more than they expect, and you’ll be handsomely rewarded with loyalty, referrals, opportunity and money. Successful people go the extra mile – and they stand out as a result.

Azuh Arinze once said, “Would you like to get to the peak of your career? Then, always go the extra mile. Do more than you are being paid for; give them more than they are asking you for – especially if you are still an employee”. Perform at the highest level all the time even when nobody is watching.

Jim Rohn once said, “My father taught me to always do more than you get paid for as an investment in your future.” Going extra mile is a seed into your future. It will always speak for you when others are struggling. I have observed that extraordinary people have this special habit of always going extra mile. I have observed that the greatest reputation is normally created from the culture of going extra mile. I have observed that there is a link between going the extra mile and the spirit of excellence. Those who are willing to go the extra mile are the ones who exhibit a spirit of excellence, which leads to success in all aspects of business and life.

Generally, in a world where mediocrity is all too common, those who choose to exceed their job descriptions and go the extra mile stand out as true champions. By differentiating yourself, nurturing personal growth, finding greater job satisfaction, building strong relationships, and making a lasting impact, you set yourself on a path to success and fulfilment. Going beyond your job description allows you to identify inefficiencies, propose innovative solutions, unleash your latent abilities, and contribute to the growth and success of wherever you find yourself.

Where you are working presently, look beyond the specifics of your duty to see other things that you can do that can help your company grow or make more profits. Discuss this with your boss. Where God is taking you to will put a demand on the acquisition of skills that are beyond your present roles. Don’t ever allow your current roles and responsibilities in your place of work short-circuit your ability to grow.