Start the Work Before You Get the Assignment

When appropriately channeled, leaders reward ambition and hard work whenever they see it. They like it when people take the initiative to propose and suggest better ways of doing things. But they have the biggest soft spot for those who go the extra step and prove they are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

This is also true when organizations select vendors, partners, or collaborators to work with. When awarding work and assignments, decision-makers not only want to know who will deliver the best result, they also want to know who will work the hardest to ensure a successful outcome.

Perhaps nothing demonstrates the commitment of hard work and the confidence to win contacts more than starting the work or design before any decision is made. Examine teams that win more bake-offs and requests for proposals than others, and you will often find a team that does more than make a proposal. They offer a piece of the design or work, having the confidence it takes to show their commitment rather than suggest it. 

Offering solutions rather than merely proposing to do so often wins the day. Deploying the resources, time, and energy to begin the work without any guarantee of getting the assignment projects both confidence and commitment. Decision-makers take notice of this distinction, especially when compared to others, often engaging in a deeper and more meaningful dialogue about the work itself. 

Starting the work before getting the assignment is also powerful in job interviews and requests. Who would you be more interested in: a candidate who comes prepared with ideas and questions, or one that shows up with workable solutions to many of the problems involved in the role? Great leaders have a strong bias for action and reward it when they see it in others. They almost always give preference to real design over a proposal to create one. 

Beginning the work before it is actually requested or awarded is a risky move because it can mean investing in something that never materializes. It can also allow others to take your work or design and run with it without any reward. But for those who want to win more than their fair share of proposals and assignments, it is worth the risk. They know that commitment and resolve are best displayed by illustration and not suggestion. Nothing showcases great work like the work itself.