Recently, I had a travel fiasco and spent hours at the airport only to be notified that my flight had been canceled. Needless to say, I was pretty frustrated. I proceeded to the customer service desk to arrange a new flight. Once there I had to wait an additional hour in line to speak with a representative. By the time I got to the front, my patience was thin. I walked up to a man that look stressed, hoping he wouldn't give me attitude, and that he could remedy my issue.To my surprise, he was very pleasant. He began by telling me that he understands my frustration, and moved at a quick pace to solve my problem. His calm tone helped me feel better about the situation. On top of that, his shift had ended 30 minutes prior! He was working late to help the customers.I was so impressed with his demeanor, that I had to mention his pleasant attitude to his boss.
That same day I had an opposite experience with a cab driver. Due to the airline canceling my flight, they credited me with a free cab ride home. The cab driver was not friendly, and extremely sarcastic. He ignored my route recommendation, and it ended up taking over an hour to get home. During the ride he spoke loudly on his cell phone, while having it on speaker. He would zone out at stop lights and hold up traffic. At the end of the ride,he had the nerve to ask me for a tip!
Obviously there was a huge difference between those two experiences. The first guy was diligent and put in extra work when he didn't have to. The second guy did horrible work and felt like he deserved to be rewarded.
Take a lesson from the first guy.The key to being successful and advancing your career is to be diligent in your work. Do more than what is required and make sure that every person that interacts with you has a great experience. Also do an honest self assessment on your performance. Are you working as hard as you can? Do you have a positive attitude? Now in the case of the cab driver, I'm sure he was baffled to not receive a tip, and chalked it up to me being cheap. He most likely was not self-aware enough to realize how bad of a job he did. It's important to evaluate your work, and to not feel entitled to more when you are doing the bare minimum. Outwork everyone else, own your development, and you will be noticed.
Alicia T. Glenn is the founder of Astounding Pursuits, a blog in which she shares her experiences and advice on how to accomplish cool things, and live a more fulfilled life by discovering and pursuing your passion. Join her free newsletter to get business ideas, life hacks, and strategies on how to live a more astounding life.