A manager that I once worked for used to tell us to under promise and over deliver. He wanted us to consistently exceed client expectations rather than meet them or fall short.

You could make things worse if you over manage expectations. Promising very little might make people wonder about your capabilities. Delivering well beyond what you promise may cause people to think you intentionally held back what you could do, especially if this happens regularly.

So what’s the secret? Think about the best case scenario, then consider what could go wrong and back off to a more realistic outcome. Once you’ve committed, do your best to beat expectations while keeping communication open and honest.

What do you do to manage and exceed expectations?