The Case for Over Delivering or Exceeding Expectation

Recently, I listened to a Masterclass by Robin Sharma on 5 SOPs that can lead to you to the clear path of success and transform your life.

From the author of “The 5 AM Club”, there was  of course no surprise that rising early is one of the key habits that Sharma stressed on for achieving success.

The second SOP referred to scheduling or planning your day because in Sharma’s words “What gets done is what gets scheduled”.  And this is so true.

Sharma then moves on to SOP No. 3 which is the practice of consistently over delivering. And this is the one that made me sit up and take notice. Every time and at each point, we are constantly looking at how to get the job done. How to ‘finish’ what we have on the plate so that we can move on to the next thing.

It is now time for a paradigm shift.

 

Exceeding Expectations- Differentiate yourself

Instead of delivering what is expected of us, let us go a step or two further. Let us exceed expectations. Let us over deliver each and every time and that is sure to bring a massive change not only in our businesses, but our personal lives as well.

When everyone in marketplace is offering A, you go ahead and offer A+. This is the way you differentiate yourself and pull more customers and business.

Particularly, right now, in these challenging times,  exceeding expectations is key to entrench yourself in that all important space- your customer’s mind.

And of course, particularly right now is probably the toughest time to put this into practice. But, as is often the case, the toughest time is also the time where this practice will yield you the maximum benefits.

Is exceeding expectations difficult – most definitely. Is it worth it – oh Absolutely.

Over Delivering – Make it a habit

No transformation is overnight, though the trigger point for the transformation may be pin pointed to a particular incident.

Again, consistent practice is one of the key points that Sharma stresses on. If you exceed expectations once or once in a while, it will barely make a dent in your business or in your life. The key is to practice it consistently, almost ritualize it and make it a habit. Once any practice is habit, it is so much easier to do it.

How to Over Deliver- Some Practical Tips

I started thinking about how exactly to put this into practice. It might be a good idea to start small.

Many times, we are are not in such positions in our organizations as to be able to take big or important decisions.  That should definitely not deter from taking the decision to over deliver in your tasks or the functions that you do have control over.

1) Start at Home

A simple strategy- do something extra for your partner. You partner expects coffee, give them coffee with fresh baked cookies. The joy and the surprise on their face will make the extra effort taken worth it. And of course seeing them happy will make you happy too.

This is just an example. There are so many ways and so many things we can do at home, with family and friends to exceed expectations.

While we bring happiness (and surprise or shock (!!)) to others, we bring happiness to our own selves as well.

2) At the Workplace

Years ago, when I was growing up, there was tag line that used to be aired on MTv. It went like this – “Itna paisa mein itnaich milega” , the English translation being “You’ll get only so much (work) for this much money”.  Unfortunately, many of us have a tendency restrict ourselves and our work to the extent of our salary / compensation. Strictly speaking, no one can say you are wrong. But with this policy, you’ll probably remain where you are. If you want to grow professionally you have yo start delivering more than what is expected.

Exceeding Expectations- Its Starts with the Mindset

For example, let’s take a project you are working on. In order to deliver more than strictly what is expected, you have study all aspects of the project deeply. You have to think more, You have  to think out of box. This will help sharpen your creativity and enhance your own problem solving skills.

Thus when you approach the project with an attitude to offering more than what is expected, almost magically, new avenues to explore will open up.

On the contrary, if your approach is to get the job over and done with, you will end up struggling to deliver even the minimum expectations.

As majority of us fall into the latter category, is it any surprise that a common complaint these days that “oh, the service is so poor”. Whether it’s a restaurant, a shopping experience, or a business presentation, rarely people over deliver.

By making a conscious decision to over deliver, you are automatically differentiating yourself from the vast majority and that is a huge competitive advantage to you both personally and professionally.

Benefits of Over Delivering

Yes..you read that right. Indeed, there are benefits of over delivering. It is painful in the sense that this practice requires extra efforts, but the end result is definitely worth it.

1. You become more knowledgeable about what you do. It is impossible to over deliver with out thorough understanding and awareness of the subject matter. As a result, your confidence grows.
2. When you are consistently over delivering, you set the bar for yourself high and you grow as an individual.
3. You differentiate yourself from the vast majority and and several more opportunities and/or avenues open up for you.

So the next time the thought pops into your head, as why you should do ‘extra’ when no one cares, remind yourself that even if no one cares, this practice will bring huge benefits to you. Isn’t that reason enough?

Simple Tips – Where to Start

1. Volunteer to take on extra projects at work.
2. When you meet your boss to discuss a problem, be prepared with at least one solution that your would like to propose. Moving forward, think about more than one solution.
3. Always be prepared with facts and figures and information. Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight. This only means that you have consistently work with the over delivering mindset which keeps you well prepared at all times.
4. Communicate proactively when updates are expected from you. The value of clear and timely communication cannot be over emphasized.

Feel free to add more tips as you see fit and as they fit your specific role/profile at work and/or in life.

On a personal front, going on a date? Flowers are probably expected. Exceeding expectations is carrying flowers and chocolate….

 

 

Putting First Things First

Putting First Things First is one the seven habits of highly effective people, as discussed by Stephen Covey in his landmark book – The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I must admit that I have not read this book, though it is right there on my Kindle.

Just yesterday, I had an opportunity to see a video that summarizes these 7 habits using simple illustrations. The video lasted all of 6 minutes!

And somehow this particular habit jumped out at me and prompted me to think a bit and write this post.

Putting First Things First

The video gives the following example. Most people when asked about the most important things in their life would probably mention good health and/or relationships. Rarely would anyone say that the most important thing in their life is organizing papers or watching TV or spending all their time working.

Yet, in day to day life, most of us probably spend more time doing the latter and not the former. So there is a disconnect between the way we want to act and the way we do act.

So naturally, when we do not take actions in line with the results we want to achieve, (for example, better physical health, deeper and happier relationships), we do not get those results. We probably have a better organized cupboard and are up to date on all TV shows. But then, that is not what we wanted in life and from life. 

This disconnect can be set straight by simply following this habit – Putting First Things First.

Identify the ‘First Things’ in Your Life

Firstly identify your priorities in life. Which are the things most important to you and what are the outcomes you want to achieve.

The next step is prioritizing your activities. You want to execute as many of those activities that will bring you closer to the outcomes you desire.

This involves moving out of your comfort zone and putting in extra effort.

Watching TV requires no effort. But if you want to be physically healthy, you have to put in the extra effort of exercising.

Organizing your papers is relatively easy. But if you want to become a better dad, you have to give your time to your children,  play with them and generally be there for them.

It may not be easy, but is worth it. The key is to build a habit. Start with small actions everyday, until the action becomes routine and a habit.

 

One of the best books I have read on how tiny changes can build great habits that transform life is Atomic Habits by James Clear.

Putting First Things First in Different Areas

Our lives are not unidimensional. We have priorities in different areas of our life, all of which seem and are equally important. Typically, we may consider work, health and well being (physical, mental) and family (including social relationships) as the core areas which are important to us. 

Putting first things first doesn’t mean that we focus only one one area and ignore the rest. No, it means that we  identify the critical outcomes we want in each area and apportion our time in such a way that we are able to achieve those outcomes. 

In fact, the habit of putting first things first helps you lead a more balanced life.

Living a Balanced Life

When we  identify and we are clear about our priorities, it is easier to use, nay invest our time wisely in activities that do matter to us and in activities that yield the outcomes we desire.

For example, let’s say you have 10 tasks to accomplish at work. On review, you identify the three tasks that absolutely need to get done to bring you closer to your goals. Naturally, you will focus on those three. You will not squander your time on the rest. The remaining 7 tasks can wait. 

The time you may have spent on those (non-important) 7 tasks can then be spent on priority activities in another area of your life, say for instance, an anniversary dinner. 

Thus it goes on. The habit of putting first things first gives you crystal clear clarity on how to use that precious resource- time, so that you live a balanced, happy life, doing tasks which achieve outcomes that are important to you.

Saying No

Habit is formed by commitment to repetition and of course repetition. Once you get into the habit of prioritizing and putting first things first, it becomes automatically easier to say no to things that will eat away your time but will not advance you in any way towards your goals.

For instance, if you are offered a prestigious speaking engagement the same weekend as you parents’ fiftieth anniversary, you will know exactly what to do if your priorities are clear. And  please remember there are no right or wrong priorities. There are only your priorities and what you choose is right for you!

Have you identified your priorities? Are you putting first things first? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Power of Gratitude

If you are looking for one single action or mindset that can completely transform your life- it’s gratitude. When you develop an attitude of gratitude, you will observe dramatic shifts in your life.

What is Gratitude

Gratitude is a feeling of being thankful for everything that you have and/or experience. Life is full of ups and downs. In fact, that’s part of the fun in life. It’s however strange that we always tend to focus on the downs. What about the ups? They are a part of our lives too need to be acknowledged. How about we acknowledge the positives in out life by being grateful for it.

Why is Gratitude a Powerful Emotion

We all know about the Law of Attraction. With our thoughts, we are constantly sending vibrations into the Universe. The Universe picks up these vibrations and gives us back what we think about. If we are constantly thinking about the lack in our lives, for example, lack of money, lack of a good job, we’ll attract more of exactly that.

However if we change our attitude to one of gratitude, for example, being thankful for the money we do have, and the job that does pay us a salary, we find that the Universe is giving us opportunities to earn more money and even pointing us towards a better job.

The equation is simple- what the Universe hears from you is what is Universe gives you.

5 Ways Gratitude can transform your Life

1. You Develop and more Meaningful relationships

When we are constantly looking at what we don’t have, we often lose sight of what we do have. If you are in good health, if you are surrounded by loving family and friends, you have so much to be grateful for. With a mindset of gratitude, you will begin to appreciate the people around you- your parents, your spouse, which will automatically lead to deeper and more fulfilling relationships. A Harvard Study conducted over 80 years to find what makes us truly happy has concluded it is indeed the quality of our  relationships.

2. You are Happier

With a sense of gratitude in your heart, you will always remain happy. When you get into the habit of looking for something positive in every experience that you have and be grateful for it, the negative element of the experience goes away. Thus associated negative emotions of anger, bitterness, revenge (??) have no place in your heart.

Filled with positive emotions, you will feel happier always. 

As a simple example, if you have been laid off, be grateful that this experience has been given to you so that you have the opportunity to move on to something better. When you have this mindset, your mind will open up to new possibilities. But if you think mostly about why this lay off happened to you and how the office politics was never in your favor, sadly your thoughts will never progress to the level of a “happy what next”.

All the negative feelings will rob of peace and happiness and instead leave in its place anger and anxiety.

3. You Always Remain Positive

It follows that when you start focusing on the positives of any situation or experience, you will automatically experience feelings of positivity. Slowly you begin to realize that you have an optimistic or positive frame of mind most of the time, if not all the time. 

This works wonders for your health, keeping stress and related conditions away. You also become more pleasant to be around, attracting more people around you.

4. You will Never Have a Bad Day

A very simple,yet extremely powerful way of practicing gratitude is to maintain a gratitude journal. Write down the things you are grateful for at the start of the day. You can be extremely specific, for instance and express gratitude for things about to happen that day. “I am grateful that this important presentation at work went so well”. And don’t be surprised the presentation actually goes well. This has everything to do with the positive vibrations you send out to the universe with your thoughts of gratitude.

Similarly, end your end with 2-3 things that you are grateful for that day. This practice instills in you the habit of ending the day on a positive note. We know that not all days are good, but surely there is some good in every day. 

With these two practices, you are, in a way, book ending your day with gratitude. You will soon find that “bad days” are a thing of past in your life.

Imagine the power and energy that comes from every single day in your life being a good day!!!

5.  You Experience the Joy of Kindness & Giving

Being grateful gives you a sense of peace of happiness. And you slowly realize that you can be the reason for showering peace and happiness in someone’s life.  Just as someone’s actions made you grateful, your actions could make someone else grateful, transforming their lives. 

As you move along the path of kindness and giving, you will experience more joy in our own life. Because there is no greater happiness than being of help to someone else. There is no greater joy than service to others. 

I am not joking. Put this to test in your own small way and you will realize that helping others brings the greatest joy.

An attitude of gratitude prepares you to take the first steps along this path and keeps you walking on this path.

Look out for my next post on practical tips to practice gratitude every day in your life.