The Delivery Room

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have I provided you with everything I said I would?   And, more important, everything you were expecting from me?” His words made me realize why he was so successful- he carefully tracked everything he committed to doing.

I also know that when I call or e-mail Active's IT manager, Chad Smith, he will return my call or address the issue within a few hours, if not in a few minutes.

Then there are the flakes. They never deliver on their promises. I was in the process of getting a non-profit company off the ground called Project Active, which was designed to help disadvantaged kids in war-torn countries through sports. I hired a part-time assistant for the project who interviewed extremely well, but then she disappeared. It was actually entertaining. She would tell everyone that she would be at the office, and then never show up. We used to make bets whether she would make it. In two weeks, she came into the office four days. No one heard from her when she left.   She still has a binder with some important photos.

Lesson: Manage other people’s expectations very carefully. If you can’t deliver on all your promises, immediately contact the person who has an expectation of you and level with them. Set expectations below what you expect to deliver. Tell people what you are going to do, then do it, track it, and then tell people what you did. It really is that simple. In the expectations delivery room, it’s your baby.