Going the extra mile

There's a figure of speech in Tamil, which roughly translates to, "coming back with oil when the ask was for sesame seeds." At first glance, this phrase might seem to be mocking the person in question, but it's actually a compliment! And that's because sesame seeds are a major source of edible oil widely used in these parts of the world. The idiom implies that the person has been thoughtful, resourceful, foresighted, and proactive. They have assessed the other person's need without any explicit communication and delivered more than what was asked for. In short, they have gone the extra mile.

I had a positive experience as a customer recently. After I'd filled my tank at a gas station, the station employee spritzed some soapy water on my car's windshield and proceeded to clean it off using a squeegee. That wasn't something I'd asked him to do and it was definitely not something I was going to pay for! He assured me that it was a complimentary service the gas station provided for all customers. I later discovered that this was a service that this particular company offered at all its locations. Cleaning customers' windshields is not a service that a gas station needs to offer, but this particular brand is adding value by choosing to go that extra mile.

Most of us encounter opportunities to go the extra mile every day, especially in the workplace. Have you ever noticed a colleague staying late in order to perfect a project for their client? Have you ever offered to help a teammate finish a task without being asked? If so, you already have a sense of what it means to go above and beyond in order to add value to your business.

It's a culture thing

Whenever a person goes the extra mile, their effort must be noticed, acknowledged, appreciated, and rewarded. This practice of appreciation must be imbibed in an organization's very culture.

Let me put it bluntly. We're now in an era of work culture where people do the bare minimum. This is considered a success in itself, and we even have a term for it: quiet quitting. People have started to realize that management often considers them "dispensable resources." With that being the case, they wonder, "Why should I go the extra mile? What's in it for me?"

Most people start a job with a high level of enthusiasm and positivity. Besides doing their best in whatever task they're given, they also come up with new ideas and efficient ways of working, eagerly find solutions, and so on. If their efforts are noticed and appreciated appropriately, they continue to do these things. If not, they give up and choose to do the bare minimum. If enough team members start to feel unappreciated, excellence will be near impossible to achieve. That's why it's important to foster a culture that acknowledges and rewards employees who go beyond the call of duty, and make sure this culture is pervasive and consistent across all teams within your organization.

More ways than one

We've now established that it's vital to acknowledge and reward outstanding efforts. So, how do you do that? As for acknowledgement, consider periodically sending an internal newsletter that contains information on team members who went the extra mile and what they accomplished. If your organization has an internal social media platform, you could create an exclusive space for notes of appreciation and thank you's from customers. This could serve as a "hall of fame" that both remembers past excellence and inspires present and future actions.

As for rewards, the most appreciated and most obvious ones are cash rewards. Gift cards for online shopping are a good idea too. The amount should vary according to the impact made by the team member. These rewards can be a huge morale booster, especially for employees in non-sales roles, who aren't accustomed to earning commission.

That said, intangible gifts, like a paid day off, could also be considered rewards (though days off would have to be given out sparingly). These are just a few examples. Since the intention of a reward is to make a person feel good and appreciated, you can use your creativity and come up with other options too!

When not to go the extra mile

Though it's good to foster a culture where team members go the extra mile for customers and colleagues, it's important to ensure they don't overdo it. This requires a combination of both watchfulness and thoughtfulness from people in leadership roles.

Is a team member overworking themselves and not maintaining a healthy work-life balance? Is someone lagging in their core responsibilities or missing deadlines due to their focus on additional tasks? Is someone being over-enthusiastic and giving customers unrealistic expectations? Is someone promising certain outcomes without securing the resources needed to achieve them? These are all pitfalls to watch for. Going the extra mile must be done within the ambit of what's achievable and what's available. This is even more true when customers are involved.

Usually, if a customer or colleague has provided specific instructions or outlined specific requirements, it's advisable to stick to the brief. If you think something can be done better, but aren't sure you should stray from the request, you could ask your customer or colleague directly and get a feel for their preference. That will give you clarity about whether you should try to do more or not, saving both time and effort for you and everyone else involved. Look at it this way: Peanuts could probably make the dish much tastier, but what if the person has a peanut allergy?

Going the extra mile is a great practice, and one that customers often reward. What are social media shout-outs and word-of-mouth promotions if not rewards? In that vein, going the extra mile is a great way to increase customer loyalty and customer advocacy. So, yes. Go the extra mile, but like everything else in life, do it in moderation.

Feel free to share your experiences of when a business went the extra mile for you, or tell us how you reward enterprising team members in your organization.