#232 How to stop overdelivering and sustainably deliver to a high standard

One reoccurring thought I am having currently is around the concept of over-delivering.

The age-old saying is that “we should under promise and over deliver and then everyone’s happy, but I don’t think this approach in the field of healthcare is sustainable.

Most people just want what you said you would do, and for you to be nice to them during your interactions.

If they get it quicker than what you originally said, then great, but I think the first thought should be what is the minimum high-quality standard we should be working to every single time, and to be consistent with this.

At THC, I used to take pride in overdelivering, only to find ;

·      The additional service or thing we gave went unnoticed or unappreciated

·      The additional service ate into profitability

·      We created an expectation that we then felt we needed to maintain, which became stressful, and sometimes we resented the effort we put in, which was 100% our fault and not theirs

 

I think we do this because:

 

·      We want to be liked

·      We are frightened of saying no

·      We are genuinely trying to be helpful

·      We think it’s good for business

·      We think it will give us that competitive edge

·      Because we don’t value our time

·      We are insecure

 

So, without this turning into a therapy session, look at all the activities in your portfolio ask yourself;

 

1.     What is working well regarding the delivery of your work?

2.     Are there any areas where you feel you are going above and beyond, which is not serving you?

3.     Be really honest and reflect on why you are in this situation, taking radical responsibility for your actions.

4.     Then ask yourself,  what one thing could I do to remedy this situation without making up stories and excuses as to why things can't change

5.     If you are not sure of what is expected of you, then ask your manager or client, or you set the expectation

6.     Finally, put your plan into action.

And remember, most people simply want what you said you were going to do and then be nice to them in your communications.

 

Work with me     

I’m Tara Humphrey and I am the founder of THC Primary Care, a leading healthcare consultancy. I provide project and network management to Primary Care Networks and consulting support to clinical leads. To date, I’ve worked with 11 Training Hubs and supported over 80 Primary Care Networks and 3 GP Federations. I understand and appreciate the complexity of healthcare and what it takes to deliver projects across multiple practices.    

I have over 20 years of project management and business development experience across the private and public sector and have an MBA in Leadership and Management in Healthcare. I’m also published in the London Journal of Primary Care and the author of over 250 Blogs     

     

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