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I started my career right out of high school, working for the Canadian Army in their supply warehouse in Germany. Without any specialized training, I took on tough jobs, which left no room to relax. If the work wasn’t completed as expected and within a specific time frame, that was obvious, as were the repercussions.
That experience shaped my work ethic, which I relied solely on moving forward: I reached the senior levels of the organizations I worked for, eventually becoming CEO. While my career path didn’t seem like an anomaly at the time, in 2024 it is.
Last year, a Gallup poll showed that 60% of employees globally were “quietly quitting,” meaning they did the minimum amount of work necessary to keep their jobs. This phenomenon, widely associated with Generation Z and millennials, makes a certain sense if you look at the macroeconomic context of the last five to ten years.
Those who leave quietly have benefited from a tight job market, but this phenomenon is coming to an end. In the first two months of 2024 alone, we saw 42,324 workers laid off from 168 tech companies. As financing becomes harder to obtain and more companies look to reduce costs, it’s not far-fetched to think that those who leave quietly will suffer.
Related: Silent resignations are dividing the workforce. Here’s how to bring everyone together.
I personally identify as a “core committer,” someone who is driven to do everything possible to ensure that my team and our company’s goals are achieved. Here are three ways core committing can help you achieve upward mobility in your career:
Committing to a team gives you a greater sense of purpose
In the military, operations are designed to run efficiently: each individual is expected to contribute to a common goal. Expectations are made clear, and if you don’t deliver on them, you disappoint the entire team.
Working in this environment, I have come to understand the need to sacrifice myself at the expense of my team’s greater success. If someone called in sick for a midnight shift, I filled in for them no questions asked, and if work outside of my description needed to be done, I was there.
There is a common notion among those who go quietly that hard work is rewarded with even harder work. While it’s true that proving yourself at work can lead to more challenging tasks, this is often where the greatest opportunity for professional growth and development lies.
In fact, in 2024, HR professionals at Gartner predict a countertrend to “silent resignations,” nicknamed “silent hires.” Employers who engage in quiet hiring will seek to acquire skills without adding new full-time employees. They will do this by rewarding those who help meet an organization’s evolving needs with upskilling opportunities, one-time bonuses, additional paid time off, promotions and greater flexibility.
Committing yourself allows you to achieve audacious goals
Once I got older in my career and got further education, I never let my ego get in the way of taking on a job that other senior executives might chuckle at. In fact, I’ll never forget taking on what surely had to be the worst job in my company at the time. It was a relaunch operation for a division that had become completely dysfunctional.
Upon entering the space, the tension was palpable and it was clear that facilities would have to close and people would have to be let go. It was the most difficult project I have ever encountered, but I was committed to finishing it.
The process was painful and, at times, it was difficult to see the bottom line, but by operating with as much transparency as possible and maintaining respect for everyone involved, we were able to realign ourselves. Ultimately, we were able to get the operation back on track to a place of solvency where those who remained engaged could see it flourish and grow.
The experience underlined a fundamental truth that has been highlighted many times throughout my career: You should never underestimate your ability to achieve a goal when you fully commit to it.
According to McKinsey, more than half of employees report being relatively unproductive at work. While there are many factors that separate those who leave quietly from the star performers, as the job market loosens, employers are becoming more demanding of those who are reliable and committed.
Related: You Can’t Quit Quit Smoking Silently, But You Can Overcome It With These 4 Proactive Tips
Committing to action is more important than the plan
A few years ago, during a performance review with my CEO, I received a criticism, which I later took as a compliment. He told me that the feedback from my team was that I couldn’t plan my way out of a paper bag, but no one would ever underestimate my ability to get the job done.
I remember that conversation fondly because what my CEO identified was one of the superpowers of top committers: let’s find a way to complete the mission. Mistakes are made in the process, but when you commit to helping your team, you find a way to overcome challenges and learn in the process.
Too often in our careers we spend an excessive amount of time creating solid plans to achieve goals. In reality, however, these ambitions often fail due to a lack of commitment and action on the part of those involved in their realization. In fact, studies have shown that approximately 60-90% of strategic plans never fully launch.
It is not my intention to avoid those who leave quietly: I understand that there are factors that have led professionals to not want to give their all at work. I believe, however, that this mentality poses a greater danger to the people who possess it than to the companies they represent.
If you’re not committed to growing and challenging yourself at work, where the average person spends a third of their life, then you’re missing out on crucial opportunities to strengthen your sense of self-worth. For me, the ultimate reward of being a core commit is knowing that my contributions have made a difference in the lives of those I choose to impact. It’s a feeling I wouldn’t trade for any amount of downtime at work.