• Stretch yourself.

    An excerpt from Outsourced: 12 New Rules for Running Your Career in an Interconnected World

    Specialist firms set high standards for performance. Their reputation in the marketplace demands an image of expertise, and that calls for excellence on the part of individual employees.

    Keep in mind that companies turn to outsourcing so they can gain access to the best practices. Because they hope to benefit from using an outfit that has the luxury of focusing on one particular service or function. They're looking for superior methods. State of the art technology and processes. Clients expect the outsource firm to demonstrate a high commitment to quality—in its people, as well as in its approach.

    This confronts you with a new level of accountability in the way you carry out your job responsibilities.

    You can't satisfy these clients with second rate services. Offer up mediocre talent, and you're in trouble.

    This is an unusually competitive playing field, but the good news is it can bring out your best. High expectations keep us on our toes. Another thing that makes us stretch is being challenged by our own coworkers. In an outsource firm, the whole company is populated with specialists, people who are experts at their crafts. This creates a rich learning environment, just as it challenges us to upgrade our skills.

    Rise to the occasion. Discipline yourself to perform at high standards.

     

    "I don't kill flies, but I like to mess with their minds. I hold them above globes. They freak out and yell, 'Whooa, I'm way too high!'"

     —Bruce Baum

    © 2011 PRITCHETT, LP