Foreword

In the workplace, many people, when faced with new tasks from the organization, are afraid of putting in extra effort. They fear being taken advantage of, or they simply dislike the task and procrastinate. But often, for those unwilling to go the extra mile, time moves on. Newer people arrive with newer tools. If you don't sharpen the skills you have and fail to look outward, they become less and less valuable. Ultimately, you gain nothing, and your career options become increasingly limited.

An Interview Experience from Many Years Ago

Let me share an experience from an interview I had eight years ago with the American company UPS in Taiwan. It was the second round of the interview, held on the second floor of the TACT warehouse. After I struggled through reading the UPS policy in my broken English, the director spoke.

The director said, "My English used to be terrible too. People in Taiwan aren't good at English because of our education and environment. We're taught English, but not how to use it. Once, when I was on a business trip to the US, my boss teased me, saying, 'You can speak slowly in Chinese; I'll understand.'" Then he pointed to the logistics production line downstairs and said, "I used to be down there."

I said, "As an engineer?"

The director replied, "No, I used to move boxes downstairs."

I asked, "Then how did you get to this position?"

The director said: "No boundaries. I always stayed later than everyone else to learn things that weren't part of my job description. When the day came that I had learned it all, and the company needed to promote someone who could integrate all the business operations, they considered me."

Conclusion

At the time, I didn't fully understand what he meant. It wasn't until many years later that I had an epiphany. Your job can have boundaries, but you can choose to learn beyond them first. At least you'll have another tool in your arsenal. Of course, if a task is too far removed from your core competencies, or if you're too busy with your primary duties, you can reasonably decline. Setting your boundaries too early might also limit your future career development. But there's another option: learn it, and then teach it to others. That's how you free yourself up to do more valuable things.

Perhaps one day, when you need to manage or lead others, having that similar background knowledge will make planning and coordinating with people much, much smoother.