Reign in Your Inner Over-Deliverer

Reign in Your Inner Over-Deliverer

The entrepreneurial mindset often includes a hearty portion of perfectionism. Hard work and diligence are hardwired into your personality; the desire to excel and please your customers is as natural as breathing. Operating like that, however, that can extract a cost from an entrepreneur when you chronically feel taken advantage of. When you feel that it’s required to always give more than expected in order to measure up, it’s likely for a sense of burnout to take root. Let’s explore ways to avoid these resentful and self-sabotaging feelings from arising in the first place so you can still deliver value and satisfy your clients without threatening your professional standards.

A common practice that plagues entrepreneurs is to over-deliver. A couple underlying causes for this include:

A strong desire to be perceived as capable and valuable - but who is ultimately measuring those factors - the client, or you, yourself? It’s not unusual to project your own concerns about your professional capabilities onto others, convincing yourself that you need to over-deliver in order for your work to be considered "good enough."

Or

A strong feeling that you are singularly able to complete the project and therefore are solely responsible for every aspect of its success. You take on more than necessary to ensure every measure to be diligent, proactive and comprehensive has been taken.

When one of these is the cause of over-delivering behavior, it’s important to step back and assess your motives and confront the reality of the situation. What is absolutely necessary to deliver, and what is overcompensating for a perceived lack of talent, expertise, skill, dedication... or, what you are reasonably and legitimately expected to do to satisfy the client - and nothing more?

What does over-delivering look like?

You can tell you’re over-delivering if your work has these characteristics:

• Lack of personal boundaries around client requests, even when they’re far beyond the scope of the project; an inability (or extreme hesitancy) to say, "No" to the client or remind them of its agreed-upon parameters
• Assumed sense of immediacy; a belief that, unless told otherwise, it is expected that the work be performed immediately
• Willingness to spend an inordinate amount time on the project, regardless of what has been previously agreed
• Tendency to expand upon what is actually required; goes the extra mile, regardless of what the client expects
• Habit of taking on peripheral tasks and responsibilities not necessarily part of the agreed-on project - or that are someone else’s responsibility
• Anticipation of/preparation for contingencies beyond the parameters of the project or their role within it
• Too much research undertaken and too much information provided to client

Stop over-delivering!

If you’ve determined that, indeed, you suffer from being an over-deliverer, fear not - there are remedies. Try making these adjustments to your professional mindset:

Realistic self-talk - Deeply consider your professional motivations: What causes you to over-deliver? Are you concerned about your value, abilities and qualifications? Make a list of professional attributes that you offer to counter any lack of confidence that may plague you - and commit it to memory.

Are you feeling like a savior swooping in to save the day for your client? Why might you feel that way? Think carefully about the truth behind your assumption that you are the only one capable of completing your client’s project. Even if there’s a possibility that you are, or that your concerns that others won’t do their part are legitimate, come to terms with the fact that it’s still not your responsibility to give more than required.

Be extra clear with yourself regarding expectations and outcomes - Decide for yourself precisely what constitutes a highly satisfactory outcome for each client within the confines of the agreed parameters; what you feel comfortable delivering, how, how much and when. Create and uphold assertive boundaries that safeguard your sense of purpose, commitment and a healthy sense of enoughness.

Be extra clear with your clients regarding expectations and outcomes - Discuss with each client precisely what constitutes a highly satisfactory outcome; ask questions, have them provide details that inform how to work to your greatest capacity without over-delivering. Make sure those determinations are included in your formal agreement where they can be referred to if necessary.

Over-delivering is a plague that will lead you to a sense of being put-upon and heading toward professional burnout. If you’re prone to it, fortunately you can nip it in the bud - or at least reign it in with some proactive contemplation and documentation.

Are you a chronic over-deliverer?