Company Blog

Over-deliverance

by Adam Zack — June 13, 2017

“How can I give more than 100%?”

110%

All that and then some

With whipped cream, a cherry and sprinkles on top

Way under par (golf)

Raised the bar

Above and beyond

Over the top

All are terms for over delivering. But with expectations higher than ever, it is harder than ever to over deliver consistently. Maybe too many people over delivered too often. Or maybe the amount of effort to over deliver is just not being expended. I was recently at a food convention where hall of fame basketball player Magic Johnson was a guest speaker. He spoke of how his personal and business goal was always to over deliver. In high school he brought a state championship to a school that had never achieved one. In college he helped Michigan State become national champions over a highly favored, undefeated Indiana team. As a professional basketball he led the Lakers to an NBA championship over Philadelphia after team leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got hurt and was out. He was telling the other players that they could beat Philly, but the important part was over delivering in his role, scoring 42 points in the final game. Most importantly, and most relevant to us, as I don’t see any of you out there leading your basketball team to the NBA finals, is that he consistently over delivered in business, developing real estate and businesses in inner city areas and returning big dividends to investors who trusted him. (And get this, he owned 125 Starbucks stores in inner cities before selling them back to Howard Schultz.) So how can we consistently over deliver and just what exactly is in it for us? Who will notice, anyway? Your customers, for one. Exceeding their expectations gets them talking to their friends about you, just like disappointing them does but in the opposite way. Your employees will notice and reward you with loyalty and longevity. And your friends and family will notice and you will see reciprocation in some form. Most of all, you will have a sense of satisfaction that only you can feel. And let me tell you, it feels great. There are naysayers who say, (in the most whiny, pessimistic voice you can imagine) “How can I give more than 100%? It’s impossible to give more than that!” To them I say “Put your hand in the air as high as you can.” When they do, I say “Now just go a little bit higher.” Over-deliverance. Boom. Adam out.