Photo courtesy of Discoodoni
Have you ever heard the expression “you should always under promise and over deliver?”
Yes, me too, and it is a big joke.
In an ideal world, the intentions of “under promise and over deliver” are great – promise to do your job, and deliver more than expected. It will make everyone happy.
However, this is not an ideal world.
Many people promise to do less than their job, and deliver their job. They then claim, “I over delivered.” In reality, they just did their job.
Successful people do not need smoke and mirrors to appear successful. They do the right things, the right way. They make promises and keep them.
How do you feel about the expression “under promise and over deliver?”
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m not opposed to the saying “under promise and over deliver”, however it think a better saying is “promise to expectations and then over deliver”. There is nothing wrong with meeting peoples expectations and striving to over exceed them.
Simply under promising is not a good approach IMO.
@AverageGal I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, the saying that is running rampant is “under promise and over deliver.” I’m trying to prevent it…
Great post.
You can’t define “you should always under promise and over deliver?”
When you’re over delivering, you’re probably just delivering it satisfactory.
It’s not necessarily about delivering a satisfactory job. It’s about delivering the right job, the right way.
The main thing is, you don’t want to under promise or low ball your expectations just to look good.
I don’t like backing out of things….unless it’s work or promises…