It was a simple question.
“Grab my power drill from the tool chest, would ya?”
My son, Charlie, whose game of Fortnight I had interrupted, reluctantly left his computer and hustled to the garage to follow through on my request.
For context, I was at work in my basement, reinstalling an improperly installed patio door. The original builders hadn’t bothered to seal the door, nor did they bother to screw the damn thing into the frame. They literally stood the door up on the concrete and caulked it to the house.
Of course, we didn’t know that until the wood started rotting from the bottom up.
But by then it was too late. The builders had under-delivered, and we would have to pay to get a new door installed right.
Charlie, on the other hand, whose only job was to “grab my power drill,” did the opposite (of under-delivering, that is).
He bounced downstairs, arms full, clutching my drill along with ear protection, goggles, and extra drill bits. He anticipated my needs and over-delivered.
When was the last time you over-delivered?
It’s been a while for me. Too long.
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I’ve been working hard. I’ve been delivering. But over-delivering—that takes a different mindset.
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Over-delivering takes anticipation of what others want. It takes preparation for the most likely situations. It takes a little extra up-front thought, a little extra effort, and a little extra follow-through.
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This mindset begins again tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s mantra is “WORK HARD. OVERDELIVER.”
Care to join me?
About the Author
Michael Mehlberg
HUSBAND, FATHER, ENTREPRENEUR, BUSINESS STRATEGIST, AUTHOR, FITNESS NUT, ORGANIZATION FREAK, PRODUCTIVITY JUNKIE
I help high-achieving entrepreneurs organize their brain and schedule so they can organize their life and business.
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