I noticed a difference in Japan with how folks performed in their jobs. Especially the most mundane jobs. It seemed to me that most people took their job seriously, and performed it to the best of their ability. Even in cases where the job they had wasn’t the most glamorous. I observed workers investing themselves fully in their work.

I was lucky to experience the amazing convenience stores in Japan. I am used to a convenience store clerk paying half attention to the customer and passing time without caring much for how he or she is doing the job. In Japan, convenience stores appear to have much more going on (the selection of freshly prepared food is astonishing). At the same time, the store clerks appear to engage in the quality of the job they are performing much differently. As an example, the clerk bags your purchases deliberately in an organized way with thought and precision.

We have all had jobs or tasks we would rather not do. Maybe we think them beneath us or outside our job description. It is a mistake to take that assessment and perform the job poorly. The result is a poor reflection on us. You are someone doing a job halfway, and regardless of the task it does not represent you well. Invest yourself fully in any job you undertake no matter how trivial.

Another example became clear to me as I ran the path around the imperial palace in Tokyo. A section of the sidewalk was under repair, and pedestrians were rerouted around the work being done. Posted at the detour was a safety officer directing pedestrians. As each person approached, he dutifully waived his arms and directed us along the path. He was not distracted by a phone or daydreaming. He was doing his job to the fullest.

I think of all the times I have interacted with someone performing a job they clearly do not like and doing it poorly. Think back on the last experience you can recall that is similar. What was your perception of the person doing the job? In my case, I never leave believing “someone should give that person bigger responsibilities.” Maybe not fair. The converse is also true. Watching someone perform a job with complete enthusiasm makes me appreciate the investment that person is making.

I can recall colleagues that believe they can avoid future work by doing a poor job at a task. You may have heard this logic, too. “I will do this project so poorly I won’t ever be assigned something similar again." This logic is a losing proposition in any professional setting. Your job is to deliver results. Results for your boss and your organization. Not doing your best is not only unprofessional, it is dangerous to your career.

How do you want to be perceived by those around you? How do you want to be perceived by your boss? You control how you behave. Perhaps you must file expenses, write reviews, make presentations. Perhaps some or all of these tasks feel outside your core job (and maybe even outside your comfort zone). If you must do the work, invest yourself in doing it well regardless of how trivial or distasteful.

The winning strategy to move work off your plate that you have already mastered is through delegation. As a leader, one of your jobs is to develop others in your organization. When you have mastered a project or task, your responsibility isn’t to just keep doing it. Look for others who need to learn the skill and help them develop by training them.

There is no winning by doing a poor job of any work that has your name next to it. Own the work and deliver the best possible results.