Last Friday, I had the privilege of hosting the Chick-fil-a Leadercast, along with my friend, Tripp Crosby. All the speakers were outstanding. But something Jack Welch said really stood out to me.

Henry Cloud, who interviewed Jack, asked, “What’s the secret to success?”

Without hesitation, he blurted, “Find out what your boss wants and then over-deliver.”

Simple, but spot-on.

In my book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, I define wow as what happens when you deliver more than your customer expects. In today’s competitive environment, you must create wow to succeed.

The same is true in your career. This is what Jack was saying. If you want to turbo-charge your career and advance more rapidly, you must consistently over-deliver.

Delivering on what your boss expects will give you job security (maybe), but it won’t get you noticed. And if you don’t get noticed, you won’t get promoted. It’s as simple as that. You have to stand-out.

When I think back over my career and consider the hundreds of people who worked for me, the ones I remember are those who consistently over-delivered. They made an indelible impression on my psyche.

This isn’t a difficult concept to grasp. Yet, it’s surprising that more people aren’t intentional about using it as a fundamental career strategy.

You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. Or the most creative. Or even the hardest working. All you have to do is be committed to exceeding the boss’s expectations.

Here are some suggestions for harnessing the power of over-delivering to turbo-charge your career and give you an edge over everyone else:

1. Make the decision to over-deliver. Few good things happen by accident. You have to decide you are going to do something differently—or do it at a different level. Just making this decision will set things in motion. It’s amazing how many aren’t willing to do this. They are content to do just enough to get by.

2. Get clear on your boss’s (or client’s) expectations. It’s really not about you—not if you are going to succeed. You have to be committed to making your boss successful. What does he expect from you? This is worth considering overall and on the front-end of each initiative. Start by asking, “What do you expect from me?” His response sets the bar.

3. Identify specific ways you can exceed them. This is where the fun begins. List your boss’s (or client’s) expectations in one column of a sheet of paper or on a spreadsheet. Now, in another column, list what you could do to exceed those expectations. How can you make his jaw drop or at least make him smile with delight? Use your creativity to create a wow experience.

4. Make wow your new standard. Every time you exceed your boss’s expectations, you create a branding impression. You want to develop a reputation for consistently over-delivering. You want to be the first person your boss thinks of when considering a new position or important project. That’s the secret to getting ahead.

Of course, the problem with exceeding expectations is that your performance quickly becomes the new standard. That’s why you have to be committed to never-ending improvement. Every new position, every new project is an opportunity to grow and realize your own potential.

”

W. Somerset Maugham via @authormedia

You swore you would never do it again. But you did it anyway. You said yes to far too many things. Now you find yourself overcommitted. What do you do now?

We’ve all been there. You may be there now. In this episode we’ll look at some strategies for dealing with this common problem.

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As I write this to you, I have been and continue to be in the middle of a very busy season in my life. There is just a lot going on.

Surprisingly, even in this hectic time, I have not felt overwhelmed. I’ve had plenty of time for my family and my own personal development.

In this podcast, I want to share with you eight strategies I’ve used to reduce my commitments, create more margin, and feel like I am in control of my life.

1. Strategy #1: Accept responsibility.
2. Strategy #2: Confront my fears.
3. Strategy #3: Reduce the drama.
4. Strategy #4: Keep it in perspective.
5. Strategy #5: Triage my calendar.
6. Strategy #6: Do the next most important task.
7. Strategy #7: Get sufficient rest.
8. Strategy #8: Decide to change.

I really believe these strategies can make a difference in your life. Adopting them doesn’t mean you won’t get overcommitted from time to time (I still do), but you will better understand the dynamics and what to do about it when it happens.

Listener Questions

1. Adam Rico asked, “How can you manage the stress of your commitments without damaging your own well-being?”
2. Caleb Suko asked, “How do you deal with overcommitment when you are in a corporate culture that values busyness as a sign of success?”
3. Eddie Cliff asked, “If I decide to quit an organization because I’m overwhelmed, how can I ensure the best possible outcome for them?”
4. Jason J. Nicholas asked, “Should I step away from a major commitment in order to free up resources to apply elsewhere?”
5. K.C. Procter asked, “How do you endure a season where are really having to hustle without getting burned out?”
6. Mike Burn asked, “What percentage of your day do you actually plan vs. how much time you leave open for unplanned activities?”
7. Mike Kim asked, “How do you accomplish all the things you love without getting overcommitted?”
8. Peg Doyle asked, “How do you get the long-range, important stuff done when you feel so overwhelmed with the day-to-day activities?”
9. Tor Constantino asked, “What do you do when you overcommit by double-booking your time?”

Special Announcements

1. If you are considering launching your own platform, you need to start with a self-hosted WordPress blog. This is not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, I have put together a step-by-step screencast on exactly how to do it.

   I also include a special discount code just for my podcast listeners and blog readers. It will enable you to get a hosting account for just $3.95 a month.

2. We have just opened registration for the Launch Conference,  September 16–19 at the beautiful Sebastian Hotel in Vail, Colorado.

   Whether you are a professional speaker—or just want to be—this conference will teach you how to start where you are and take your speaking business to the next level. Register now and get in on the “Early Bird discount,” which will be expiring soon.

3. My next podcast will be on the topic of “How to Read a Non-Fiction Book.” If you have a question on this subject, please leave me a voicemail message. This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

• Book: Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
• Book: Boundaries for Leaders by Henry Cloud
• Book: The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
• Book: Getting Things Done by David Allen
• Conference: The Launch Conference
• e-Book: Creating Your Personal Life Plan
• Membership: Platform University
• Podcast: Episode 41: 7 Actions to Take Before You Quit Your Job
• Post: How to Create More Margin in Your Life
• Screencast: How to Launch a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog in 20 Minutes or Less

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode here, courtesy of Ginger Schell, a professional transcriptionist, who handles all my transcription needs.

Subscription Links

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:

iTunes

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Your Feedback

If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me.

Also, if you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out! Thanks.

Last Friday, I had the privilege of hosting the Chick-fil-a Leadercast in Atlanta, Georgia. Approximately five thousand people attended the live event and another 115,000 people watched via satellite in 750 locations around the world.

My primary job at the conference was to listen to the speakers and summarize two or three takeaways from each for the audience. It was challenging but exhilarating.

Over the weekend, I reviewed my notes and selected one quote or concept from each speaker to share with you. These aren’t necessarily exact quotes; they are what I wrote down.

• Andy Stanley, pastor of NorthPoint Church and bestselling author and communicator: Level five leaders don’t feel the need to be the smartest person in the room. They are willing to be the dumbest person.

• David Allen, best-selling author of Getting Things Done and productivity expert: There is an inverse relationship between what is on your mind and getting it done. If it’s on your mind, get it out of your mind. Write it down, so you can focus on the task at hand.

• Sanya Rochards-Ross, 2012 London Olympic gold medalist, track and field: Before the race, I imagine myself winning. During the race, I focus on executing what I imagined previously.

• Henry Cloud, bestselling author and leadership consultant: Sometimes, the worst thing a leader can do is hope. If you are headed to the wrong destination, perseverance won’t help you. Instead, you need to create a “necessary ending.”

• Coach Mike Krzyzewski, head men’s basketball coach, Duke University: Don’t focus on winning. Focus on creating a culture of success. This will lead to consistent winning.

• John C. Maxwell, bestselling author and leadership expert: Divide your weaknesses by delegating them. A leader is like a quarterback. He doesn’t get paid to run the ball. He gets paid to put the ball into the right hands.

• Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State (2005–2009): You have to be an optimist. Nobody wants to follow a sour puss.

• Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric: You can give a thousand speeches, but nothing has a bigger impact than the personnel decisions you make. This includes who you hire, who you fire, and who you assign to your most important projects.

• LCDR Rorke Denver, Navy SEAL and star of the 2012 movie Act of Valor: As leaders, your people are going to mimic your behavior. (SEALS are going to amplify your behavior.) “Calm is contagious.” So is panic. So is stupidity.

This year’s Leadercast was the best ever. In fact, I would say it was one of the top five events I have ever attended.

I hope you will consider attending next year, along with your team. Tickets are on sale now for the May 9, 2014 event. I promise you won’t be disappointed. It only gets better with each passing year.

Recently, I did a podcast about how to be more productive by re-engineering your morning ritual. The response was astounding. But many asked, “What if I’m just not a morning person?”

Well, you can be. It may not be easy, but it’s definitely possible. You can do it if you are intentional.

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1. Change your story. What would happen if you changed the story and began telling yourself, “I am a morning person.”
2. Determine what’s at stake Whenever I want to change anything in my life or accomplish a significant goal, I start by articulating why it’s important.
3. Plan your sleep. Like changing any other habit, you have to set yourself up for success.
4. Use an alarm. If you haven’t been a morning person until now, you will likely need to use an alarm. It’s part of training yourself mentally and physically.
5. Turn on all the lights. This may sound obvious, but your environment provides subtle clues to your body, so it knows how to respond.
6. Set out your clothes. When you get up, the fewer decisions you need to make the better.
7. Drink a cup of coffee. After considerable research, I’m convinced coffee is fine in moderation. In fact, it’s probably beneficial.
8. Enlist an accountability partner. Whether it’s a mentor or a peer, find someone who understands the value of accountability.
9. Commit to twenty-one days. According to many psychologists, this is how long it takes to form a habit.

What I really want to communicate in this episode is you have more power than you think. You don’t have to be held hostage by a label. (“I’m not a morning person.”)

If you are intentional, you can build the habits necessary to accomplish your goals—even if it means becoming a morning person.

Listener Questions

1. Christopher Scott asked, “It typically takes me ten to fifteen minutes to wakeup after I get up. What do you do to be alert more quickly?”
2. Egil Ellingsen asked, “How do you have a consistent start to your morning when you have small children in the house?”
3. Evan Moffic asked, “What is it about the morning that makes it such an important time?”
4. Ian Harber asked, “I’m a college student. The culture of the dorm is to stay up late. How can I become a morning person when the environment is against me?”
5. Jack Callender asked, “I’d really like to be a morning person. However, I am very sore in the morning, and it’s hard to get out of bed. What do you recommend?”
6. Jonathan Harrison asked, “If you go to bed late, what do you do the next morning? Skip it, compress it, or keep your commitment no matter what?”
7. Linda Kuhar asked, “I’m already a morning person, but I need to add some more things to my schedule (like exercise). Do you have any recommendations?”
8. Pete Ashby asked, “Is it possible to be both a morning and an evening person?”
9. Theresa Pobee-Mensah asked, “How can mothers of young children establish a consistent morning routine?”
10. Wayne Stiles asked, “I don’t think we are morning or evening people by nature. The ability to adjust to different time zones seems to prove this. What do you think?”

Special Announcements

1. I am at the SCORRE Conference this week in Orlando, Florida. This conference is sold out, but we just opened registration for our conference this fall in beautiful Vail, Colorado.

   If you are a professional speaker—or want to be—or if you just want to improve your public speaking, this conference is for you. It is designed to teach you how to prepare with focus, deliver with confidence, and speak with power.

2. I will be keynoting the Biola Digital Conference in La Mirada, California on June 4th. This conference is focused on theology, strategy, and education in a digital world. I will be speaking on “Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World.”
3. My next podcast will be on the topic of “So You’re Overcommitted. Now What?” If you have a question on this subject, please leave me a voicemail message. This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

• Podcast: Episode 28: Become More Productive by Reengineering Your Morning Ritual
• Post: Slay Your Dragons Before Breakfast
• Book: Early to Rise by Andy Traub
• Conference: Biola Digital Conference
• Conference: The SCORRE Conference
• Website: Platform University

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode here, courtesy of Ginger Schell, a professional transcriptionist, who handles all my transcription needs.

Subscription Links

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:

iTunes

Zune

RSS

Your Feedback

If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me.

Also, if you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out! Thanks.

Generating quality blog content is a lot of work. However, you don’t have to do it all yourself. You can use video interviews to bring in outside expertise. It’s simple and inexpensive.

I have done this repeatedly on my blog. Two people who are particularly good at this are Jamie Tardy and David Siteman Garland. Their blogs are almost exclusively video interviews.

In this short Platform Video Tip, I explain:

• How video interviews can build your credibility faster than almost any other means.

• A seven-step process for ensuring your video interviews are the best possible quality.

• An $19.95 software plugin that allows you to record split screen, video interviews right from within Skype.

• Why you don’t need fancy video editing software or expertise to make your videos look great.

Whether you use video interviews occasionally or decide to build your entire platform on them, they are great way to bring outside expertise to your tribe.

Not long ago, I did two podcasts on delegation (Episode 42 and Episode 43) and wrote a blog post. However, in this post, I want to address the single biggest objection I get from leaders who struggle with delegation. Care to guess what it is?

It’s usually some variation of this:

I don’t delegate because it takes longer to delegate the task than just do it myself.

Sound familiar? We’ve all used it.

But this thinking is flawed.

The truth is that delegation always takes longer—the first couple of times you hand off a task. But it will save you hours, days, and weeks if you hand it off the right way. This requires creating a clearly documented, optimized workflow, and then training someone how to use it.

Here are four steps you can take in transforming a workflow into a documented procedure. These steps apply to tasks you are currently doing yourself but want to delegate to someone else.

1. Notice the workflow. Whenever you find yourself repeating the same workflow over and over again in the same way, you have a candidate for delegation. This could be anything from answering your phone, to filtering your e-mail, to updating your blog. It could literally be anything.

   For example, late last year I noticed I spent half a day a week editing my podcast, uploading it to my media server, and creating the “show notes.” Each time, I went through the same exact workflow. I realized I could save two full days a month if I could delegate this process.

   Action point: Identify one workflow you could delegate to someone else. (I’d start with something that is fairly simple.) Now calculate how much time you would save per month if you could successfully delegate this workflow. Extra credit: Calculate how much this time is worth.
2. Optimize the workflow. Once you have the workflow identified, it is time to fine-tune it. You can do this by eliminating any unnecessary steps. Simplifying your tools can also help.

   You don’t want to put yourself in a position where you have to hire a genius (like you) to perform the procedure. Instead, use your genius to create a simple, reproducible procedure almost anyone could execute.

   Action point: Observe yourself in action next time you run through this workflow. Ask yourself, “What steps can I eliminate or modify in this process to make it easier for someone else to execute?” Extra credit: Explore whether or not there are better, easier-to-use tools.
3. Document the workflow. This is the difference-maker. It’s where 95 percent of leaders fail. They expect their staff to read their mind and then wonder why no one can do the job as well as they can.

   Assume you are training someone with limited experience. Here’s what I do:

   • Chose the appropriate documentation tool. This could be a Google document, a note in Evernote, or an outline in OmniOutliner. I have used them all, but my favorite new tool is SweetProcess.
   • Write down the workflow as a series of sequential steps. Imagine you were explaining to someone what to do and waiting for them to complete each step before moving on.
   • Start each step with an action verb. For example, “open your e-mail program,” “create a request form,” or “upload the file to the LibSyn server.” These steps should look very similar to items on a to-do list. The person reading it should know when they have completed each step.
   • Use screenshots or screencasts to illustrate each step in the procedure. This can make your process much easier to follow and less error-prone. I use SnagIt for screenshots and ScreenFlow for screencasts. These both allow you to annotate the illustrations.
   • Test your own procedure by going through each step in a live setting. This is where the rubber meets the road. You want to make sure each step is clear and none is missing before you ask someone to implement it.
   Action point: Select a documentation tool. I recommend SweetProcess. You can get a free trial by clicking here. Extra credit: Quickly list each of the steps in the workflow you want to document.
4. Share the workflow. Once you have tested the procedure and are reasonably confident you have identified all the appropriate steps, it is time to share it with your delegate.

   Treat this as a beta test. (Note: you’re not Moses and these aren’t the Ten Commandments.) Tell your delegate he will likely find mistakes or steps that aren’t clear. Ask him to help you make the procedure better.

   Personally, I don’t regard my workflows as sacred. They can always be improved. If my delegate can get to the same destination via a different route (assuming it is cheaper and more efficient), I am all for it.

   I would share the workflow with your delegate via a cloud-based tool that you can both access. This is why I like Google docs, Evernote, and, especially, SweetProcess. Here, for example, is a workflow I created called, “How to Prepare for a Skype Video Interview.”

   If you want to share it with a larger audience, you might even blog about it. I have done this several times. My WordPress Setup Screencast is a good example of a step-by-step procedure anyone can use to setup a self-hosted WordPress blog in 20 minutes or less.

   Action point: Share your workflow documentation with your delegate. Send him a link via e-mail. Ask him to work through it a couple of times and give you feedback. Extra credit: Share this post with him and encourage him to start documenting his own workflows. This will enable him to get his successor up to speed quickly.

Don’t think of your workflow documentation as a finished product. It is always a work in process. As you discover new tools and think of new insights, you will want to update it.

Yes, delegating something the first time does take more time and effort. You could do it faster and better yourself. But you simply don’t scale. If you want to take your organization—and your life—to the next level, you have to be willing to make the investment.

When bad things happen, it’s natural to ask questions like, “Why did this happen to me?” or “What did I do to deserve this?” The problem with these questions is that they are unproductive and disempowering.

The bottom line is this: you can’t always choose what happens to you, but you can choose how you respond to those situations. This is where our real power—and our real freedom—is found.

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• A: Acknowledge the pain.
• B: Be with it.
• C: Have compassion on yourself.
• D: Do something different.

As difficult as the pain or the setback might be, if we look back on our lives, most of us would admit that these times are often followed by tremendous growth and blessing.

Listener Questions

1. Chris Christensen asked, “What do you think about the question, ‘How do we keep this from happening again?”
2. Don Suess asked, “How can see with the eye of faith when you become shipwrecked by a catastrophic loss?”
3. Joan Harrison asked, “What do you think about the question, ‘Why have I attracted this into my life?’”
4. John Richardson asked, “How can you tell when something bad happens if it is really good?”
5. Mike Skiff asked, “When someone close to you experiences pain or heartache, how can you respond graciously in a way that is truly helpful?”

Special Announcements

1. Next week, I will be speaking at the SCORRE Conference in Orlando, Florida. This conference is already sold out, but you can register for the next one in October. Registration officially opens on Monday, May 6th. We always sell out, so if you are thinking about coming, I suggest you register sooner rather than later.
2. If you are considering launching your own platform, you need to start with a self-hosted WordPress blog. This is not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, I have put together an absolutely free, step-by-step screencast on exactly how to do it. You don’t need any technical knowledge. I walk you through the entire process in exactly 20 minutes,
3. My next podcast will be on the topic of “How To Become A Morning Person.” If you have a question on this subject, please leave me a voicemail message. This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode here, courtesy of Ginger Schell, a professional transcriptionist, who handles all my transcription needs.

Subscription Links

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:

iTunes

Zune

RSS

Your Feedback

If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to see or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me.

Also, if you enjoyed the show, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That would help tremendously in getting the word out! Thanks.