- Image by Mr. Wright via Flickr
Cubicles, you have decided, are the kin of prisons. They trap you to impossible hours, the tedium of an office. You offer constant glances to a clock (the one hint of personality you were allowed to have; all other elements have been taken away, were deemed inappropriate for work), watching the seconds slink by. They always seem so slow. Time, you’re certain, must be a cruel thing. There is no other explanation for how it always makes you wait.
But such waiting is necessary, you know. When all of the others leave — escaping their desks and budget concerns, hurrying toward their homes — you instead remain. It is difficult, but you manage somehow: offering the extra effort that you hope will gain you recognition. You give all you can. You sit hunched over a keyboard.
And the result is… success.
You have implemented what so many refuse — you provided more than the minimum; you have done more than what was asked.
While it is tempting (and forever understandable) to wish to abandon a career, to flee the moment the day is through, those wanting a promotion must instead stay firm. It is a nearly impossible thing to be rewarded by punching out a time card and allowing others to bear the burden of extra hours. Leaders are those who can remain with their team — or even take the place of that team entirely. Companies are searching for those who can provide a true effort, even when it’s not required.
The simplest way to succeed — beyond having a college background and being able to supply a degree — is to offer your complete energy to a corporation. It isn’t easy; it isn’t thrilling; and it will demand everything you have. But the labor you offer will be repaid. You’ll become the one who has been proven as reliable, and that is a necessity.
Work hard. Offer time. Gain a promotion through persistence.
