underpromise and over-deliver

A majority of us are talkers, not doers. We let words shadow our actions. We need to be wary of the promises that we make; there’s no point in making them if we can’t keep them.

Don’t be all hat and no cattle. Tone down the level of promises that you make and instead serve with your actions.

When you overpromise and underdeliver, you lose respect and loyalty. But when you do the exact opposite, i.e., you underpromise and give more to people than they were supposed to receive, you make them feel important and get an opportunity to express your appreciation towards them. You stand out from the crowd because of your commitment to delivering more. You build loyalty, trust and relationships, and start accruing your ‘true fans’.

Our words need to align with our actions. We need to let go of our habit of making bold promises when we deeply know we won’t be able to keep them. Instead, we can choose to go the second route and let our excellence and commitment shine.

It’s okay to choose the middle way and not go overboard. Our goal should be to maintain the balance between our promises and our actions, not to become an overnight hero for someone.