I started my career in high school working for the Canadian military at their supply depot in Germany. Without any specialized education, I took up grunting jobs that left no room for relaxation. If the work was not completed as expected and within a certain time frame, it was visible, and so were the consequences.

That experience shaped me Work ethics, which I relied on just to get ahead – I continued to rise to the top of the organizations I worked for, eventually becoming CEO. While my career path didn't seem like an anomaly at the time, in 2024, it did.

Last year, a Gallup poll showed than 60% of employees globally were “quietly left”, that is, doing the minimum amount of work required to remain employed. This phenomenon, widely associated with Gen Z and millennials, makes little sense when you look at the macroeconomic environment of the past five to 10 years.

Those who have left it alone have benefited from a tight labor market, but it is coming to an end. Just in the first two months of 2024, we have seen 42,324 workers laid off from 168 technology companies. like financing becomes more challenging to obtain and more companies looking to cut costs, it's not hard to think quiet leavers will be affected.

Connected: The quiet retreat is dividing the workforce. Here's how to put them all together.

I personally identify as a “leader,” someone who is driven to do everything I can to ensure that my team and our company's larger goals are met. Here are three ways “core commitment” can help you achieve upward mobility in your career:

Committing to a team gives you a greater sense of purpose

In the military, operations are designed to perform efficiently—each individual is expected to contribute toward a common goal. Expectations are made clear and if you don't meet them, you let your whole team down.

Working in this environment, I came to understand the need to sacrifice myself at the expense of the greater success of my team. If someone called in sick for a midnight shift, I would fill in without question, and if a job outside of my description needed to be done, I was there.

There is a common concept among those who abandon tranquility that hard work is rewarded with even harder work. While it's true that proving yourself at work can lead to more challenging assignments, this is often where the greatest opportunity for growth and professional development lies.

In fact, by 2024, Gartner's HR professionals predict a countertrend to “quiet smoking,” called “quiet employment”. Employers engaging in casual hiring will seek to acquire skills without adding new full-time employees. They will do this by rewarding those who help meet the evolving needs of an organization with upskilling opportunities, one-time bonuses, additional paid time off, promotions and greater flexibility.

Commitment allows you to achieve bold goals

Once I got older in my career and received further education, I never let my ego get in the way of taking a job that other senior executives may have scoffed at. In fact, I'll never forget committing to what must have been the worst job in my company at the time. It was a turnaround operation for a division that had become completely dysfunctional.

Upon entering the setting, the tension was palpable and it was clear that the facilities would have to be closed and that people would be released. It was the most difficult project I had ever come across, but I committed myself to it.

The process was painful and sometimes it was hard to see the bottom line, but by acting with as much transparency as possible and maintaining respect for everyone involved, we were able to reorganize. In the end, we were able to get the operation back on track to a place of solvency where those who remained committed to it were able to see it thrive and grow.

The experience underscored an essential truth that has been emphasized many times throughout my career: one should never underestimate their ability to achieve a goal when they fully commit to it.

According to McKinsey, more than half of employees report being relatively unproductive at work. While there are many factors that separate quitters from star performers, as the job market loosens up, employers are becoming more discerning about those who are reliable and committed.

Connected: You can't silently stop resignation – but you can overcome it with these 4 proactive tips

The commitment to action is more important than the plan

A few years ago, during a performance review with my CEO, I received a criticism that I later took as a compliment. He told me that the feedback from my team was that I couldn't plan my way out of a paper bag, but no one would ever underestimate my ability to get a job done.

I remember that conversation fondly because what my CEO identified was one of the superpowers of top performers—we find a way to complete the mission. Mistakes are made along the way, but when you're committed to helping your team, you find a way to overcome challenges and learn in the process.

Too often in our careers, we spend an inordinate amount of time creating solid plans to achieve goals. However, in reality, these ambitions often fail due to a lack of commitment and action from those involved in their execution. In fact, studies have shown some 60-90% of strategic plans never get off the ground.

It is not my intention to avoid quiet resignation – I understand that there are factors that have made professionals reluctant to go “all in” on the job. However, I believe that mentality poses more danger to the people who possess it than to the companies they represent.

If you are not committed to growing and challenging yourself at work, where the average person spends a third of their life, then you are missing out on critical opportunities to strengthen your sense of self-worth. For me, the ultimate reward of being a keynote speaker is knowing that my contributions have made a difference in the lives of those I have chosen to influence. That's a feeling I wouldn't trade for any number of idle hours at work.