In a recent post on LinkedIn, I posited that the easiest way to improve your life at work is to “underpromise and overdeliver.” I expanded on the thought a bit there and thought that I should offer something a bit more in-depth.
Imagine that you decide to dine at a local restaurant. They don’t take reservations, rather they offer a hosting station with a young lady or gentlemen, who seats guests as tables become available. It is a busy time for the restaurant, and there are no tables available, but they are taking names and party sizes from guests willing to wait to be seated. We’ve all been in this situation. You offer your name and how many are in your party. They take down that information, possibly offer you a pager or to text you when your table is available and give you an estimate of how long the wait for your party will be.
The host or hostess knows how many parties are in front of you and how long their average table takes to be turned, and he or she has two real options with this estimate:
- Overpromise and hope not to underdeliver
- Underpromise and hope to overdeliver
Overpromise and underdeliver results
With Option 1, this person, knowing that it should take 20 minutes for you to be seated, tells you that it should “only be 10–15 minutes.” They would do this in hopes that you will only be mildly inconvenienced by the delay and won’t seek another place to dine. They hope that despite the numerous parties ahead of you and the pace of their diners and staff that it will actually only be 10–15 minutes to have a menu in front of you at the table. So, what happens here?
After your perception of 15 minutes, you become bothered over how long it has taken to be seated. You may even inquire again about the length of the wait or weigh other options with the other members of your party. There’s actually a Seinfeld episode (Season 2, Episode 11 — The Chinese Restaurant), where Jerry, Elaine, and George play out the frustration of being the party being told Option 1. They are pretty upset about it disturbing their plans and end up leaving hungry, upset at the situation at the restaurant. Even if you don’t leave out of frustration, your dining experience is already soured by the extended wait before you even look at a menu.
When you overpromise and underdeliver, you make an adversary with your customer, before they even try your product. This is a very difficult situation to revive to make a great experience, because your service is starting from behind.
Underpromise and Overdeliver Results
With Option 2, the host or hostess, knowing that it should take their team 20 minutes to turn that table, tells you that it should be “25–30 minutes” for you to be seated. They know the speed of their colleagues and the average diner, along with the number of people ahead of you on the list, but they also realize that things can happen to delay your meal. They hope that the estimate isn’t enough to drive you away and to another establishment, while also setting an expectation that’s realistic and then some. What happens with Option 2?
They call, buzz, or text you 19 minutes after your name was added to their list, and you are delighted that it didn’t take the 30 minutes they stated, and you’re eating earlier than expected. This is a win for you, because you feel like they went above and beyond to serve you, and it is a win for them, because they have set the stage for a great experience. Who doesn’t love a win-win?
When you underpromise and overdeliver, you set an expectation that is lower than your ability to account for a surprise delay or issue. If everything goes to plan, you will wow them with how you exceeded their expectations, never mind that you were the one who set them.
While this example is pretty basic, the application to your work is easily applied. You can set work deadlines or features that are easy for your team to meet with your customers, vendors, or colleagues and then wow them when you finish early or have a higher quality than you said you would. Isn’t that something that would make your work life easier, as you rid yourself of the conflict from Option 1?
You can also apply the underpromise and overdeliver principle in your non-work life by setting expectations and wowing your children, partner, or friends by exceeding them in your commitments to them.