A Tip for Success: OVERDELIVER!

Some people ask me, "Tri, how do you differentiate good staff from bad staff in your team?" I find the single most important determinant of a successful person is that he/she always overdelivers on promises. This is the type of staff and team member that I will always reward and cherish.

What does OVERDELIVERING mean? You have to overdeliver in both the 'what' and the 'when' - no matter what! So for instance, if you tell your boss or your team or your clients, "Oh, I am going to finish so and so by next Tuesday", then you'd better finish the whole job superbly by, for example, one day before. This is what overdelivering means: In both the 'what' and the 'when'.

I see a lot of young people these days, particularly those born and raised in a relatively rich family, to lack this characteristic. They tend to be 'spoiled' (or what Indonesians call 'manja') in this department. They are more interested in the instant money ('what have you done for me lately' syndrome) before they overdeliver continuously over a sustained period of time. They usually have various excuses (and often self-pity!) to explain why they can't follow through on what they promised. Frankly, a lot of this come from upbringing. My parents always taught me to focus on overdelivering on what I promised, again and again and again and again, and when I deserved it, the reward would eventually come.

Overdelivering is a special skill - it takes persistence, strong will, discipline, hustle and just sheer 'bulldog' ness! It doesn't matter if you 'feel like it' or 'don't feel like it', 'in the mood' or 'not in the mood', you still have to follow through and overdeliver.

There's one other key test which is related to the above which I recommend you use to see if your team members are good or not. Just see if they follow through when 'no one is watching'. Will they follow through on their promises to you or not? Do they only perform when you stand next to them waiting for the tasks to get done? And when you are not watching, does it get done? This can be observed and discerned. Successful people are self-driven: they continue to perform with fierce resolve even when no one is watching.

I hope this would be helpful in your lives as well. Or perhaps if you or someone close to you fall in the category of the 'underdeliverers', then remember this tip: Make sure you always OVERDELIVER on your promises to others, and to yourselves, even if no one is watching!