How to Be the Highest Paid Employee in Your Organization

I’m 25. Although that seems like a very young age, I still have amassed quite a lot of work experience. My parents are self-employed so I’ve been working for basically my entire life. At age 14, I got a job working for someone else after school, on weekends and over summer break. Since then I’ve had internships in the public and private sectors. I’ve worked for several Fortune 500 companies before becoming a freelance and business owner. As such, I’ve worked for many people. I’ve also had many people work for me. This post is a summary of what I’ve learned over the years. I know how a person can become the highest paid employee in the organization. Here’s how it works.

Be Likable

The popularity contest doesn’t end in high school. Although it’s more subdued in the work place, it’s still present. Everyone knows who’s likable. Be someone who everyone cares about. This means people will do favors for you and they will ask you to do favors for them. This is how quality relationships develop. When people have a choice, they prefer to do business with those they like. If you want to stay on staff and rise through the ranks, be likable.

Offer Great Value

To be an employee, you must offer more value than what you give in return. That sounds bad but it’s how businesses work. With this said, you must offer qualities above and beyond expectations. Show your worth. If you’re valuable, you will nearly be able to write your own paycheck.

Sometimes It’s the Little Things

I knew a guy who worked for the company I worked for. He had worked his way up in the company for years. Even through layoff after layoff, he still kept his cushy office. Why? I’m not sure if this is the exact reason but I’m sure it helped: he brought fresh baked goods into the office every Thursday. He simply brought several plastic containers filled with food and set them out on the filing cabinet. People loved that guy.

Be Open to Doing New Tasks

Be the opposite of a stick in the mud. Offer to jump around in the mud and explore new skillsets. When you’re open to new tasks, you’ll be considered quickly for promotions. If your superiors only think you know how to file papers, you’ll like never earn more than $30,000 per year.

Show an in-Depth Understanding of the Niche

Managers don’t want to have to spoon feed every job to you. Instead, show them you have an understanding of how thigs work. Refer to a trade journal or a subject matter expert. Talk to your boss randomly about where the industry is headed. Show you have interest in the subject. Your boss will know you’re in this for the long haul. If your boss thinks you’re just collecting a paycheck, it’ll always be a small one.

Outperform Your Peers

This is the toughest suggestion to accept. But it’s absolutely necessary if you want to earn the most money. Outperform your peers. You better be to work on time, even if your peers are always late. Turn in your assignments early even if your peers say ‘it’s not a big deal’ if they are late. If your peers take long lunches, don’t take a long lunch yourself. If they abuse the company credit card, don’t give into the temptation yourself. If they make a 5-minute long presentation with a how-to guide, you should make a 10-minute long presentation with a how-to guide, an FAQ sheet and allow time to field questions. Always do better work than your peers.

This Is How You Earn a Lot of Money

To earn a lot, you must be worth a lot. You must also possess ‘soft skills’ as well like being able to make small talk, make friends and perhaps even make Thursday brownies.