Three reasons you get paid for your work
Have you ever given thought to why you get paid for your work? I’m not talking about the specific tasks you do, but rather the purpose of your work in a general sense. At a high level, there are three reasons for any job being created or any service being paid for.
#1 We get paid to solve problems
The purpose of many jobs is to solve problems. We may talk in terms of filling a need, but a need is really a problem. In order to sell product a grocery store faces the problem of needing the shelves stocked. The clerk who stocks the shelves solves the problem and gets paid. It’s important to understand that if you wish to get paid more money then you should learn to solve bigger problems. Stocking the grocery shelves is a minor problem easily solved therefore it earns a modest pay. Contrast that with the problems that a brain surgeon must solve. Obviously if you’re having to see a brain surgeon you have a really big problem. The brain surgeon gets paid really big money to solve it for you.
When I first learned that solving problems equals earning money, suddenly I had a new outlook towards them. I learned to equate solving problems with bringing value. Problems are inevitable. People want to do business with those who are capable of solving them.
Leaders are problem solvers by talent and temperament, and by choice.-Harlan Cleveland
#2 We get paid to avoid problems
A dentist gives his patients routine cleanings to avoid the problem of cavities. A professional accountant is paid to help her client avoid tax problems or bankruptcy. When a house owner pays a company to install an alarm service it is to avoid the problem of being burglarized. For many people, much of their work is proactive activities designed to avoid problems. The bigger the problems avoided the bigger the pay.
The act of avoiding problems is perhaps the most thankless element of work. Yet imagine an amusement park without maintenance men or a new housing development without building inspectors. With most business it is only in the absence of major problems that we can spend our time focusing on opportunity.
#3 We get paid to create growth
Financial advisors make their money by growing their client’s investments. A major part of the business manager’s work is to grow profits. In many industries it is the salespeople who are the highest paid people in the company. The commissioned salesperson’s compensation increases relative to the growth they create through selling her company’s product. Take a look at most companies’ bonus plans and you’ll find they reward the growth of sales and/or profits.
Personally, I feel of the three reasons we get paid for our work, creating growth is the most rewarding. It’s like a payoff for your labor. Create much growth on your job or in your business and you will create much growth for youself in the process.
Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.-Orison Swett Marden
If you reflect on your work, you will find that your responsibilities fall under one or more of these categories. Understanding this and considering how you approach your work can go a long way in increasing your reward.
