Ops NCO

In every role you will play, or occupation you will hold, there is a standard that will be expected of you. In some cases, the standard will be clearly laid out. For example, if you are a soldier, fireman, policeman, etc, many of the standards you are expected to achieve are clearly laid out.

In other cases, the standard may not be as clearly laid out. You might actually have to figure out on your own what the standard is.

In either case, one of the most important decisions a person can make is to make a habit of exceeding the standard. Notice I said "exceeding" the standard, not "meeting" the standard. "Meeting the standard" is what you are paid to do (even if you think you're underpaid. News flash: You are underpaid. Most of us are).

If you're just "meeting the standard", you're really not doing much. You're just doing the minimums.

The real key to success is to become a person who exceeds the standard on a consistent basis. Leaders, managers, supervisors love people who exceed the standard.

Keep in mind that some standards can be, frankly, stupid. You still need to exceed those as well. Anyone can exceed a standard they agree with, but only those who choose to exceed standards they think are stupid are really doing something special.

Finally, make a habit of exceeding standards on even the smallest things. How you dress, carry yourself, speak to your superiors, co-workers and subordinates -- all these things give you an opportunity to exceed the standard.

One final thought: if you choose to become a person who exceeds the standard on a regular basis, you will find that there is a sizable group of people who don't care for that much. It makes them look bad. They'll call you names like "butt kisser", "cheese eater" and so on. Some of them will even try to make you uncomfortable for making them look bad. This is what I've heard called the "crabs in a bucket" syndrome.

Have you ever watched a bunch of crabs sitting in the bottom of a bucket? Eventually, one of the enterprising crabs will try to climb up the side of the bucket. He's the top 10%er. He's the guy trying to separate from the crowd and improve his standing in life.

Sure as night follows day, one or more of the other crabs will grab the top 10%er and pull him back down into the bucket. For some reason, they don't want to see him escape. They'd rather have the company of their buddies when they get cooked.

That's what people are doing to you when they try to give you a hard time about exceeding the standard. But you have to decide (as was discussed in the last lesson), what kind of person you want to be.

Do you want to miss the standard, meet the standard, or exceed the standard? It's more work to exceed the standard, especially when you resolve to do it habitually and to do it every day.

But it's worth it. Just ask all those crabs that didn't get out of the bucket....