Basically, in part 1 we covered prioritizing, productivity, working efficiently as well as effectively, and attacking tasks given by your boss quickly. Now we will cover a little bit about work ethic, which is one of the number one things that will help you stand out from your coworkers and/or competition. I’m not saying that your coworkers or your teammates are the competition, but in some circumstances they might be. Making yourself shine and look good does not mean that you will have to necessarily bulldoze your coworkers or teammates and it definitely does not include trying to sabotage them or set them up for failure in any way.

This is all about you or really this is all about me and I am not even worried about you because you can’t do what I can do. Now, this is not about being cocky or arrogant either, it’s also not about acting like or feeling like you are superior to others, even though that’s exactly what it looks like. So, the key to accomplishing this the right way and still being able to retain a level of humility while doing it is to make it all about your performance and not theirs.

One way to look at it is, be an example and do things the right way, no matter what those around you may be doing. Like if your job is to stack bags sand or something, (pick anything and apply it) but you are waiting for more bags to be brought over and it’s not break time, but your coworker or coworkers decide to sit down for a minute and take a breather. Rather than do that, find something you can do that still looks productive, like grab a broom and sweep up your area or pick up your work area and keep it neat and clutter free. This does several things for you.

One it makes you look more productive and less lazy. Two it creates a safer workspace when you don’t have trash and debris at your feet, same could be applied to your desk. Three when the boss walks by they are going to be impressed that even though everyone decided to sit around and milk the clock you chose to earn your money even if it was by doing something simple and maybe beneath most people. That was actually the reason I got my first raise at my current job, everyone around me was standing around but I was using a squeegee to push water to the drain when the Director of Operations was walking by and he said, You know what, every time I see you, you are always working, so you are getting a raise starting Monday and he followed through.

One of my old managers and a great mentor of mine was told our crew in the photo lab a nice little gem that I took to heart, which was “If you have time to lean then you have time to clean.” Don’t get caught leaning or sitting, trust me that’s not the way to get a raise or move up the ladder to the next level. Scratch that, it’s not about getting caught, just don’t do it. Clearly in the instance above, I did not have to go out of my way to make the others look bad and honestly, I was not even worried about what they were doing, I was just doing me.

Another thing that I have always practiced to the best of my ability is not milking the clock. So, what exactly does this mean and how does it help me get paid more even though I get off the clock as quickly as possible. Well, I do my job, I do it extremely well and as quickly as I get done, I get out of there. I don’t sit around, and bullshit and I don’t sit around and do things just to be doing them and get my full 40. I realize this might sound counterintuitive, but this actually works like magic. Whether it is the appreciation of my boss or maybe it’s just the law of reciprocity, all I know is it works.

Look at like this. Who would you rather pay more or who would you rather tip. Person A barely does the minimum every day and stays all the way to get their full hours or person B who did twice as much and was willing to leave an hour earlier even though they might lose a few dollars in the short term. Plus, I like my time and I am not really working to exchange my time for money. My job at the moment is fun and interesting and I am learning a lot, so it’s not just about the money it’s about the experience. Like I said though part of the reason I get raises is because I handle business and I’m not wasting my bosses time or money, so he ends up giving me what I save him by cutting out early some days. (Do this with your bosses’ approval and blessing only though, of course, not all bosses will appreciate it the same.) What they will appreciate though is that you aren’t milking the clock or stealing company time, which is a fireable offense for most companies.

The one thing that got me the biggest raise and before that got me several $1.00 raises in short time periods was my eagerness to learn new things and add more to my plate of responsibilities. So, I recently, well actually this was back in September of ’23, and it’s now march of ’24, but anyways I got a specific certification which got me a $2.00 raise and a $1,000 one-time bonus. Your curiosity and willingness to learn and do more is probably going to be your number one money maker no matter what you want to do in life. Before you can start thriving you get going by striving. Strive to be better every day. Be satisfied, but don’t be too satisfied and definitely don’t become complacent.

If you want raises and if you want to level up quickly it’s going to take some work. Just like the pro athlete that spends that extra time at the gym when everyone else has already gone home, that’s what makes them the best. It was not that they were just born special or talented, it was the fact that they put in the extra time to perfect their craft and with the perfection of their craft came a confidence and an ice in their veins. It’s that extra mile that you are willing to go that is going to pay the biggest dividends and cause you to reap the biggest rewards.

For instance, if you know that there is a raise for anyone willing to learn to drive a forklift, or if you can get a raise to be a backup cashier, or maybe even like for me I have to mix minerals for our water. Sure, you might have to do a little more, but with all the skills you have like prioritizing and stuff like that you will barely even notice. I have certain things at my job that I have to basically do every hour on the hour and when I first started, it was basically all I could do just to stay afloat. The longer I did it though, and the better that I got at my process, I found myself having plenty of free time each hour.

Once I saw that I had consistent free time every hour, I asked what is the next thing that I should learn that is going to be helpful to the team and make me more valuable to the company. So I continued to add things and they continued to give me raises and now my boss is looking to add another certification to my repertoire. The thing to focus on is constant improvement, even though I have my craft so dialed in it doesn’t mean that I just chill lose my ambition and drive, it just means I look for the next challenge and the next level to crush.

As always, go bear some fruit, be blessed and be abundant.

Until next time.

If you have questions about any other tips and tricks or maybe you would like additional information, leave a comment below and I will get back to you.