The Magic of Under-Promising and Over-Delivering
Leadership in 180 Seconds: 14 Secrets of Influential Leaders
Influential leaders don’t just meet expectations—they quietly exceed them. In this episode, discover the subtle power of under-promising and over-delivering, and why this simple discipline earns trust, builds influence, and turns ordinary moments into lasting impressions. If you want to increase your leadership impact, it might be time to stop trying to impress and start aiming to surprise.
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DescrI don’t know what your experience has been in business. However, in my experience, one of the most under practiced leadership moves?
Under-promise. Over-deliver.
It’s not flashy. It won’t land you on a magazine cover. But it works. As I reflected on this idea, I was reminded to practise it myself. So, I brought some biscuits along to a coaching session with one of my teams. I didn’t get accolades or extra business. But everyone leaned in. There was a noticeable lift in the room, and I could tell I’d built just a bit more relational capital.
There’s something incredibly powerful about doing just a little more than people expect. When you say you'll follow up by Friday—and you do it by Thursday. When you run a session that’s meant to be helpful—and it turns out to be transformative. When you say “I'll help” and you actually show up with more value than anticipated.
Over time, these moments build a kind of quiet influence that loud charisma can’t compete with. It tells your team, “You can count on me.” And in leadership, reliability is gold.
But here’s the key: your intention needs to stay clean. This isn’t about manipulation or sandbagging for the sake of looking impressive. It’s about using this principle to strengthen your influence so that you can better empower your team, your clients, and your family. It’s about delivering just a bit more because you care.
It’s about respect. Respect for your time. Respect for theirs. And respect for the trust they’ve placed in you.
We’ve all experienced the let-down of someone over-promising and under-delivering. And once that happens, trust takes a hit—and so does influence. But the reverse? It builds loyalty.
Quietly.
Steadily.
Powerfully.
So here’s the leadership challenge:
What’s one area this week where you can shift from simply meeting expectations… to exceeding them?
Under-promise. Over-deliver.
And let your actions speak louder than your announcements.