Barbara Corcoran knows what it takes to catapult your career to the next level.
In her 20s, the multi-millionaire worked as a receptionist for the Giffuni Brothers’ real estate company in New York City. She later founded her own residential real estate company, The Corcoran Group, with just $1,000 — and later sold it for $66 million.
Corcoran says trying harder, working harder and going the extra mile when she was an employee helped her become successful, and she advises others to do the same.
“Always, always do more than you’re asked,” she said in a TikTok video posted Tuesday. “Whatever your job is, do another 50% – look for things to do. The only worthwhile employee is the employee who takes the most stuff off the boss’ desk.”
Some may find Corcoran’s advice controversial, as recent workplace conditions and mounting burnout rates have resulted in the ongoing “quiet quitting” movement. First noted in 2022, quiet quitting involves only doing work that’s in your job description, or doing just enough so you won’t be terminated.
Put simply: Employees across the U.S. are pushing back against being overworked, underpaid, receiving lackluster raises and given limited advancement opportunities by doing nothing more than what’s required of them.
Still, business leaders often argue that going above and beyond can help boost your career — even Corcoran’s fellow ‘Shark Tank’ co-star, Mark Cuban, agrees.
“The one thing in life you can control is your effort,” Cuban, 64, recently said in a LinkedIn video post published by entrepreneur and VC investor Randall Kaplan. “And being willing to do so is a huge competitive advantage.”
In Cuban’s view, putting in effort means going above and beyond your job’s normal responsibilities to solve problems. You take initiative to find solutions, and exhaust every possible option in the process.
It’s a quality that “most people” don’t possess, he added, saying that if you aren’t interested in doing more, “don’t apply for a job with me.”
“There’s some people, or employees, that if you tell them to do A, B, and C, they’ll do A, B, and C and not know that D, E, and F exists,” Cuban said. “There [are] others who aren’t very good at details: If you tell them to do A, B, and C, all they want to do is talk about D, E and F.”
And if you’re wondering why you should pay heed to this advice, well, Corcoran has a simple answer.
“I’m a boss, so listen up,” she said.
Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to “Shark Tank.”
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