Over Deliver

"Only undertake what you can do in an excellent fashion. There are no prizes for average performance." -Brian Tracy

In an interview, former chairman and CEO of GE (General Electric) Jack Welch was asked, “What’s the secret to success?” Without hesitation, he blurted, “Find out what your boss wants and then over-deliver.” It is a simple, but true statement. When you over deliver on what the expectation is, a "wow" effect occurs that provides greater opportunity for success in your life.

Henry Cloud wrote a book called "Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World" where he describes wow as being what happens when you deliver more than your customer (boss, spouse, family, friends, etc.) expects. It is probably more true today with the short attention span most people have developed in this noisy multi-media information age; you must create wow to succeed.

The book offers some suggestions for grabbing hold of the idea that over-delivering can improve your career chances and life.

1. Make the decision to over-deliver. Few good things happen by accident. You have to decide you are going to do something differently—or do it at a different level. Just making this decision will set things in motion. It’s amazing how many aren’t willing to do this. They are content to do just enough to get by.

2. Get clear on your boss’s (or client’s) expectations. It’s really not about you—not if you are going to succeed. You have to be committed to making your boss successful. What does he expect from you? This is worth considering overall and on the front-end of each initiative. Start by asking, “What do you expect from me?” His response sets the bar.

3. Identify specific ways you can exceed them. This is where the fun begins. List your boss’s (or client’s) expectations in one column of a sheet of paper or on a spreadsheet. Now, in another column, list what you could do to exceed those expectations. How can you make his jaw drop or at least make him smile with delight? Use your creativity to create a wow experience.

4. Make wow your new standard. Every time you exceed your boss’s expectations, you create a branding impression. You want to develop a reputation for consistently over-delivering. You want to be the first person your boss thinks of when considering a new position or important project. That’s the secret to getting ahead.

The reality is that it will take hard work and additional effort to raise your level of performance. And as you continue to over-deliver, the expectations of even more will occur. In actuality it becomes a commitment to never-ending improvement. But our human potential, your human potential, is mostly under-utilized.

You can do more than we allow ourselves to believe we can do. So over-deliver on something today, then grow it day by day and realize the potential that exists within.

Stay inspired my friends.