EPISODE · Sep 18, 2023 · 19 MIN
#013 - # 1 Way To Rise Faster In Your Career, Get Caught Doing This...
from Construction Mentor Podcast · host Ryan "Ike" Eisenhauer
Reality is not reality. Perception is reality. When it comesto your career you must always keep this in mind. In other words, people will create a perception of you, andit may not be justified or fair in your eyes. They may create a perceptionabout someone else that may not be justified or fair either. Have you ever noticed people play favorites with people whodon’t deserve it? Maybe it is your parents with your sibling, or maybe it is asports coach, or teacher….or worst of all, your boss. We will all experiencethis at one point in our lives. In life we should not care what other people think. But inour careers, we should care deeply about what other people think. Because otherpeople’s perception of us, directly correlates with our value, ourcompensation, and position. Ultimately you cannot control what other people think, BUTyou can influence the heck out of them. One could teach an entire seminar on the different ways todo this, but for this blog I want to concentrate on one specifically. That is, showing up earlier, and leaving later…. thaneveryone. Now, the popular narrative today is “work life balance”.Which is fine, you can probably adequately do your job within the normal 8am –5pm window, and then you can enjoy your life. Do not misconstrue what I am saying, you should enjoy yourlife. But you should also seek any opportunity to separateyourself from the rest of the pack. There is a MASSIVE opportunity to do so, bysimply being there outside of the normal 8-5 window.This opportunity is especially available to the young peopleout there. Without being married, having children, a mortgage, and all of theother responsibilities of adulthood in full swing, this is you time to takeadvantage of this opportunity!Most seasoned professionals I speak with have noticed thatnew hires today tend to make a habit of showing up late and leaving early. Theythink they are fooling someone when they say “there was an accident” on the wayin. Or that they “have a doctor’s appointment”, or “need to take their car tothe shop” or they “have a family event to go to”. At some point the excusesbecome too common. Eventually the truth is that they do not want to work thefull day, they want to come and go as they please because they do not prioritizetheir job, the opportunity, or practicing the discipline required to maximizetheir production. That is large in part because they think the job is there toserve them, instead of them being there to serve the job.What many of us find hilarious is when these same people wholeave early, stay late, they expect to be compensated for every minute thatthey spend past 5pm. Even when they are invited to a networking even with anopen bar!Let me tell you this…stop seeking immediate compensation forthis time. The compensation will come but will come at a much later date. Thinkof it this way, you are making a deposit…an investment that will be cashed in,at sometime in the future. When I was 22 years old working in NYC, I made a point ofthis. I wanted everyone to know that I would be there when they arrived, and Iwould still be there long after they left. Making that a habit helped forgeseveral relationships that just recently allowed me to cash in on myinvestment!I saw 5:00pm – 10:00pm as my opportunity to knock out anytedious paperwork that I could not get to during the day and or be proactive onsuch tasks that were not “due” but that I knew would be a time suck later. Most importantly these were tasks that I knew would sendnotifications and/or emails to my team. Including my boss. At the time they werejust a Project Manager. One night around 9:00pm, I was the only person in theoffice. Sending out my submittals per usual. I was working at a pace that meantanother email or notification would go out to the team every 5-10 minutes. Steadyfrom the 4:00pm hour. My phone rang. It was my project manager. I answered and theysaid, “um where are you right now”?I said, “I am working”. “Are you seriously still in the office?” they replied. theyknew I was. I suspected that someone had seen me before they left late.“Yup still here, I just wanted to…” they cut me off.“Leave, go home. You don’t need to be doing that right now” theysaid. They briefly went on to explain the importance of work lifebalance. To which I replied, “I am ok, I don’t have anywhere to be, I want toget this done and over deliver”.Right then and there that set a perception. Was I workinghard? Yes. Was I working longer hours than almost everyone? Yes. But what if theydid not catch me? What if he had no idea? What if I made a mistake on somethingand they chalked it up to me lacking diligence or being lazy?Since then, they never had to question my work ethic becausethat was a habit that I developed and that they knew they could rely on. Moreimportantly, my drive to over deliver did not just mean something to me, itmeant something to her. That would only enhance her ability to shine as amanager. I became a valuable assert to her success. That is where you want tobe!10+ years later when I need an advocate or a recommendation,do you think they hesitate to do so on my behalf? Of course not. The onlydifference now, is that advocacy is not coming from a project manager, it iscoming from a Vice President. That is where they have ascended to since thatnight. That is a delayed return on my investment. Again, this was a habit. It is important to note, that wasnot just a one time occurrence. I did not stay late one time in my life and haveit pay off. This was a habit I developed for YEARS. I would easily put in 60+hours a week on a regular basis. Again if nothing else, to be caught doing so.Let me give you another example. One night, I was doing the same thing, working late in NYC. Lateenough that I thought I started to see ghosts. I saw a conference room light on,but I could not tell who was in there. Finally, after a few hours it opened. Itwas the Chief Operations Officer. On his way out the door he scrunched hiseyebrows and looked up at me.“Burning the midnight oil, are we?” “Yes sir, someone has to get things done” I said. He asked what project I was on and said, “thank you”. Isuspect he did so to ask who I was the following day.Fast forward 2-years later. I was in an office in Bostondoing the same thing. Working late with one desk light on in an empty office.It was about 9:00pm. I heard the wood floor creaking like someone was walkingtoward me. I assumed it was a cleaner, until I heard a booming voice. There hewas again, the Chief Operations Officer.“Mr. Eisenhauer are on you nights, or are you always workingthis late?”Again, caught in the act of doing what other people are notwilling to do. Taking advantage of an opportunity to separate myself. Tothink…I was only caught because he forgot his coat before he left to take a high-profileclient out to dinner. I did not even know he was in town.As a result of these occurrences, I always had this man as amentor. When other people wished they could get face time with him, let alonehave a positive interaction with him, he would make time for me. On several occasions he would spend 45 minutes to an hour onthe phone with me, talking me through career options. When he would visitBoston he would sit down in a conference room with me, and take time out of apacked schedule, to tell me what he truly thought was best for me. Notnecessarily the company. I know that my career has risen faster because of thesetypes of relationships. These relationships that are predicated on a perceptionof value that others saw in myself. Iknow that more people at high levels are aware of who I am and the value Ibring, or at least the perception of the value that I bring to the table. Ihave been afforded amazing opportunities, far ahead of others at my age becauseof it.It is not a coincidence that I received midyear raises andbonuses in my early 20s when no other employees did. It is not a coincidencethat I received opportunities to be a leader at an earlier age than otherpeople did. It is not a coincidence that high level individuals showedgratitude and genuine interest and investment in the growth of my career. It isnot a coincidence that I was always in the showcase.I am not saying that you must work your life away in orderto achieve success. I am saying there is an opportunity there to put in thework, to put in the time, that other people are not willing to do.Not only is the opportunity easier to take advantage ofearly on in your career but the return on that investment will pay out muchhigher dividends in the long run.When it comes to creating a perception of exceptional valuefor yourself, 3 things are certain.1. Your career will grant you more gratitude, presentyou with high profile opportunities, and provide you with a top tier salary…allfar ahead of your peers, far ahead of the average bear.2. You will develop long lasting discipline. Yourhalf speed wil be better than other peoples full speed. You will have more accomplishedby Tuesday than others will all week. In times of crisis or chaos, when otherswaver, you will continue to bring value. In other words, your worst day isstill better than most people’s best days. People can count on you.3. You will have freedom. Any doubt of the effortyou put in will be eliminated. You will have an autonomy where people are notlooking over your shoulder. Constantly checking in on you, counting the hoursthat you are at your desk. Because they know if you need to leave early today,or took a long lunch break, or had a fun day planned…you will do what ever ittakes to get it done. Even if that means working through the night. That is how you obtain a career that you can be proud of.That is how you obtain an upper class lifestyle.That is how you obtain freedom.Key words...Construction Jobs, Construction Manager, Construction Saletraining, Construction Fails, Construction Simulator, Construction vehicles, Constructionsounds, Construction truck, Construction accidents, Construction sites, Constructionjobs interview, construction jobs that pay well, construction jobs with noexperience, Jobs that pay well without a degree, jobs that can make youa millionaire, jobs that pay well, jobs that pay over 100k, jobs that allow youto travel, jobs that don’t require a college degree, jobs that AI can’t replace,jobs that Pay 100k a year without a degree, jobs that will be replaced with AI,jobs that will make you a millionaire, jobs that make over 100k a year, jobsthat hire immediatelyCareers that make a lot of money, careers in finance,careers for introverts, careers that don’t require a degree, careers without adegree, careers in techBlue collar millionaires, blue collar boys, blue collar man,blue collar edu, Skilled trades shortage, skilled trades that pay well,skilled trades vs college, skilled trades in demand, skilled trades are dying,skilled trades jobs, skilled trades podcast, skilled tradesman, Student loan forgiveness, student loan debt, student loansexplained, student loan crisis, student loan plannerHighest starting salaries, Carpenter work, carpenter tools, carpentry basics, carpentrywork, carpentry podcasts, carpentry apprenticeship, carpentry hacks, carpentry course,carpentry projects, carpentry tips, carpentry schoolsElectrician work, Electrician tools, Electrician basics, Electricianwork, Electrician podcasts, c Electrician apprenticeship, Electrician hacks, Electriciancourse, Electrician projects, Electrician tips, Electrician schools,electrician vs plumber, electrical design, electrical engineering, electricalbasics, electrical wiring, electrical engineering course electricaltroubleshootingHVAC tech, HVAC system, HVAC work, HVAC tools, HVAC basics, HVACwork, HVAC podcasts, HVAC apprenticeship, HVAC hacks, HVAC course, HVAC projects,HVAC tips, HVAC schools, HVAC vs plumber, HVAC design, mechanical engineering
What this episode covers
Reality is not reality. Perception is reality. When it comesto your career you must always keep this in mind. In other words, people will create a perception of you, andit may not be justified or fair in your eyes. They may create a perceptionabout someone else that may not be justified or fair either. Have you ever noticed people play favorites with people whodon’t deserve it? Maybe it is your parents with your sibling, or maybe it is asports coach, or teacher….or worst of all, your boss. We will all experiencethis at one point in our lives. In life we should not care what other people think. But inour careers, we should care deeply about what other people think. Because otherpeople’s perception of us, directly correlates with our value, ourcompensation, and position. Ultimately you cannot control what other people think, BUTyou can influence the heck out of them. One could teach an entire seminar on the different ways todo this, but for this blog I want to concentrate on one specifically. That is, showing up earlier, and leaving later…. thaneveryone. Now, the popular narrative today is “work life balance”.Which is fine, you can probably adequately do your job within the normal 8am –5pm window, and then you can enjoy your life. Do not misconstrue what I am saying, you should enjoy yourlife. But you should also seek any opportunity to separateyourself from the rest of the pack. There is a MASSIVE opportunity to do so, bysimply being there outside of the normal 8-5 window.This opportunity is especially available to the young peopleout there. Without being married, having children, a mortgage, and all of theother responsibilities of adulthood in full swing, this is you time to takeadvantage of this opportunity!Most seasoned professionals I speak with have noticed thatnew hires today tend to make a habit of showing up late and leaving early. Theythink they are fooling someone when they say “there was an accident” on the wayin. Or that they “have a doctor’s appointment”, or “need to take their car tothe shop” or they “have a family event to go to”. At some point the excusesbecome too common. Eventually the truth is that they do not want to work thefull day, they want to come and go as they please because they do not prioritizetheir job, the opportunity, or practicing the discipline required to maximizetheir production. That is large in part because they think the job is there toserve them, instead of them being there to serve the job.What many of us find hilarious is when these same people wholeave early, stay late, they expect to be compensated for every minute thatthey spend past 5pm. Even when they are invited to a networking even with anopen bar!Let me tell you this…stop seeking immediate compensation forthis time. The compensation will come but will come at a much later date. Thinkof it this way, you are making a deposit…an investment that will be cashed in,at sometime in the future. When I was 22 years old working in NYC, I made a point ofthis. I wanted everyone to know that I would be there when they arrived, and Iwould still be there long after they left. Making that a habit helped forgeseveral relationships that just recently allowed me to cash in on myinvestment!I saw 5:00pm – 10:00pm as my opportunity to knock out anytedious paperwork that I could not get to during the day and or be proactive onsuch tasks that were not “due” but that I knew would be a time suck later. Most importantly these were tasks that I knew would sendnotifications and/or emails to my team. Including my boss. At the time they werejust a Project Manager. One night around 9:00pm, I was the only person in theoffice. Sending out my submittals per usual. I was working at a pace that meantanother email or notification would go out to the team every 5-10 minutes. Steadyfrom the 4:00pm hour. My phone rang. It was my project manager. I answered and theysaid, “um where are you right now”?I said, “I am working”. “Are you seriously still in the office?” they replied. theyknew I was. I suspected that someone had seen me before they left late.“Yup still here, I just wanted to…” they cut me off.“Leave, go home. You don’t need to be doing that right now” theysaid. They briefly went on to explain the importance of work lifebalance. To which I replied, “I am ok, I don’t have anywhere to be, I want toget this done and over deliver”.Right then and there that set a perception. Was I workinghard? Yes. Was I working longer hours than almost everyone? Yes. But what if theydid not catch me? What if he had no idea? What if I made a mistake on somethingand they chalked it up to me lacking diligence or being lazy?Since then, they never had to question my work ethic becausethat was a habit that I developed and that they knew they could rely on. Moreimportantly, my drive to over deliver did not just mean something to me, itmeant something to her. That would only enhance her ability to shine as amanager. I became a valuable assert to her success. That is where you want tobe!10+ years later when I need an advocate or a recommendation,do you think they hesitate to do so on my behalf? Of course not. The onlydifference now, is that advocacy is not coming from a project manager, it iscoming from a Vice President. That is where they have ascended to since thatnight. That is a delayed return on my investment. Again, this was a habit. It is important to note, that wasnot just a one time occurrence. I did not stay late one time in my life and haveit pay off. This was a habit I developed for YEARS. I would easily put in 60+hours a week on a regular basis. Again if nothing else, to be caught doing so.Let me give you another example. One night, I was doing the same thing, working late in NYC. Lateenough that I thought I started to see ghosts. I saw a conference room light on,but I could not tell who was in there. Finally, after a few hours it opened. Itwas the Chief Operations Officer. On his way out the door he scrunched hiseyebrows and looked up at me.“Burning the midnight oil, are we?” “Yes sir, someone has to get things done” I said. He asked what project I was on and said, “thank you”. Isuspect he did so to ask who I was the following day.Fast forward 2-years later. I was in an office in Bostondoing the same thing. Working late with one desk light on in an empty office.It was about 9:00pm. I heard the wood floor creaking like someone was walkingtoward me. I assumed it was a cleaner, until I heard a booming voice. There hewas again, the Chief Operations Officer.“Mr. Eisenhauer are on you nights, or are you always workingthis late?”Again, caught in the act of doing what other people are notwilling to do. Taking advantage of an opportunity to separate myself. Tothink…I was only caught because he forgot his coat before he left to take a high-profileclient out to dinner. I did not even know he was in town.As a result of these occurrences, I always had this man as amentor. When other people wished they could get face time with him, let alonehave a positive interaction with him, he would make time for me. On several occasions he would spend 45 minutes to an hour onthe phone with me, talking me through career options. When he would visitBoston he would sit down in a conference room with me, and take time out of apacked schedule, to tell me what he truly thought was best for me. Notnecessarily the company. I know that my career has risen faster because of thesetypes of relationships. These relationships that are predicated on a perceptionof value that others saw in myself. Iknow that more people at high levels are aware of who I am and the value Ibring, or at least the perception of the value that I bring to the table. Ihave been afforded amazing opportunities, far ahead of others at my age becauseof it.It is not a coincidence that I received midyear raises andbonuses in my early 20s when no other employees did. It is not a coincidencethat I received opportunities to be a leader at an earlier age than otherpeople did. It is not a coincidence that high level individuals showedgratitude and genuine interest and investment in the growth of my career. It isnot a coincidence that I was always in the showcase.I am not saying that you must work your life away in orderto achieve success. I am saying there is an opportunity there to put in thework, to put in the time, that other people are not willing to do.Not only is the opportunity easier to take advantage ofearly on in your career but the return on that investment will pay out muchhigher dividends in the long run.When it comes to creating a perception of exceptional valuefor yourself, 3 things are certain.1. Your career will grant you more gratitude, presentyou with high profile opportunities, and provide you with a top tier salary…allfar ahead of your peers, far ahead of the average bear.2. You will develop long lasting discipline. Yourhalf speed wil be better than other peoples full speed. You will have more accomplishedby Tuesday than others will all week. In times of crisis or chaos, when otherswaver, you will continue to bring value. In other words, your worst day isstill better than most people’s best days. People can count on you.3. You will have freedom. Any doubt of the effortyou put in will be eliminated. You will have an autonomy where people are notlooking over your shoulder. Constantly checking in on you, counting the hoursthat you are at your desk. Because they know if you need to leave early today,or took a long lunch break, or had a fun day planned…you will do what ever ittakes to get it done. Even if that means working through the night. That is how you obtain a career that you can be proud of.That is how you obtain an upper class lifestyle.That is how you obtain freedom.Key words...Construction Jobs, Construction Manager, Construction Saletraining, Construction Fails, Construction Simulator, Construction vehicles, Constructionsounds, Construction truck, Construction accidents, Construction sites, Constructionjobs interview, construction jobs that pay well, construction jobs with noexperience, Jobs that pay well without a degree, jobs that can make youa millionaire, jobs that pay well, jobs that pay over 100k, jobs that allow youto travel, jobs that don’t require a college degree, jobs that AI can’t replace,jobs that Pay 100k a year without a degree, jobs that will be replaced with AI,jobs that will make you a millionaire, jobs that make over 100k a year, jobsthat hire immediatelyCareers that make a lot of money, careers in finance,careers for introverts, careers that don’t require a degree, careers without adegree, careers in techBlue collar millionaires, blue collar boys, blue collar man,blue collar edu, Skilled trades shortage, skilled trades that pay well,skilled trades vs college, skilled trades in demand, skilled trades are dying,skilled trades jobs, skilled trades podcast, skilled tradesman, Student loan forgiveness, student loan debt, student loansexplained, student loan crisis, student loan plannerHighest starting salaries, Carpenter work, carpenter tools, carpentry basics, carpentrywork, carpentry podcasts, carpentry apprenticeship, carpentry hacks, carpentry course,carpentry projects, carpentry tips, carpentry schoolsElectrician work, Electrician tools, Electrician basics, Electricianwork, Electrician podcasts, c Electrician apprenticeship, Electrician hacks, Electriciancourse, Electrician projects, Electrician tips, Electrician schools,electrician vs plumber, electrical design, electrical engineering, electricalbasics, electrical wiring, electrical engineering course electricaltroubleshootingHVAC tech, HVAC system, HVAC work, HVAC tools, HVAC basics, HVACwork, HVAC podcasts, HVAC apprenticeship, HVAC hacks, HVAC course, HVAC projects,HVAC tips, HVAC schools, HVAC vs plumber, HVAC design, mechanical engineering
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#013 - # 1 Way To Rise Faster In Your Career, Get Caught Doing This...
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