Overdelivering
jasonleow • 11 Feb 2025 •
Under-promise, over-deliver, they say.
I did that. All throughout my career. And especially when I was a consultant. Quality work was my strength. And word of mouth was the result. It was great.
Until it isn’t.
Now I find myself having to rein myself back a bit.
Over-deliver I still will and still do. But maybe 101%. I can no longer over-deliver to 200% - which was normal for me. I simply do not have the bandwidth, time or mental capacity. Don’t ask me why I overdelivered so much. It’s just me being Type A. Still being the conscientious student, the over-achieving athlete, long after I had outlived those lives.
As always, entrepreneurship has an interesting but harsh way to schooling me.
Nuance nuance nuance.
The cost of a thing is that amount of life which must be exchanged for it. – Henry David Thoreau
Do it right, do it well, but not too well.
For the amount of life exchanged for something cannot be returned.
A job’s still just a job. Anyone can do it.
But your life goals, dreams… only you can do it.
Comments
It’s important to be generous in spirit and to make clients feel like we want what’s best for them without compromising our own lives and businesses.
100%. I think generosity is good for business. But not at cost of compromising our own lives. Fine balance!
I once provided a website design to a client and was working with a developer to implement the design. But I wouldn’t say no to any client request, even when they asked for changes and adding pages. The developer told me not to give a golden ticket (if I recall the expression correctly) because clients will then cheapen the services we provide.
I’m still guilty of this. 😅
It’s important to be generous in spirit and to make clients feel like we want what’s best for them without compromising our own lives and businesses. Offer something extra, but not so much extra that causes delays or takes time away from other opportunities or personal time.