Why Exceeding Expectations is the Most Rewarding Approach

"I delivered exactly what was expected, yet somehow, it feels unfulfilling."

Have you ever had that experience?

I have, many times.
I did exactly what was asked of me, just as requested. The quality was fine. I met the deadline.
Yet, there was no sense of accomplishment. The other person’s reaction was just, "Oh, thanks," nothing more and nothing less.

Then, one day, I realized something.
"Meeting expectations" is actually synonymous with "nothing special, nothing terrible," isn't it?

Introduction

In this article, I would like to articulate the value of "exceeding expectations" and share specific ways to achieve it.

Why is there value in exceeding expectations?

Building up "Trust Capital"

When you consistently exceed expectations, you accumulate something that could be called "trust capital."
Just like saving money in a bank account, you can accumulate trust.

Once this trust capital reaches a certain level, the way you work begins to change.

You are asked for detailed explanations less frequently. The pressure regarding progress reports eases.
You become able to tackle tasks more comfortably and autonomously.

Furthermore, having trust makes it easier to be entrusted with difficult or important tasks.

Some might argue, "No, even without trust, you should delegate tasks for the sake of development."
While this is logically sound, it is often quite difficult to implement in reality.

To understand this, it might be helpful to imagine building your own house.
It is the biggest purchase you will make in your life. Would you rather entrust it to a builder you don't trust, or one you do?

Most likely, almost everyone would choose the latter. Humans are creatures who want to entrust things that are important to them to people they trust.

Creating a virtuous cycle of growth

Another effect of exceeding expectations is your own growth.

To grow, you need to step out of your so-called "comfort zone."
You won't grow much if you only deliver outputs that are within your current comfort range.
You need experiences where you stretch yourself a bit and surpass your own limits.

This is where the previously mentioned trust capital comes into play.

Having trust capital makes it easier to be entrusted with more difficult tasks. By taking on those difficult tasks, you find it easier to grow. Once you grow, you find it even easier to exceed expectations, which in turn builds more trust capital.

By keeping this feedback loop turning, you can grow efficiently.

Three steps to exceed expectations

So, how can you specifically exceed expectations?

From here on, I will introduce three steps that I practice.
These are not necessarily the only "right" way, but they are ways that I find easy to follow.

Step 1: Understand expectations "three-dimensionally"

First, identify where the current expectations lie.

Understand both the other party's expectations and your own.

The other party's expectations

To understand the other party's expectations, the quickest way is to ask explicitly.

"What state does this work need to be in to be considered a success?"
"By when, and at what level of quality is this required?"

When you ask like this, you will find that there is often a surprising gap between your own perception of the expectations and those of the other party.

However, expectations are not only explicit; implicit expectations also exist.
There are several approaches to reading these:

• Observe the past: Recall what kind of output was appreciated in similar tasks. Analyze "what exactly was it that pleased them back then?"
• Infer from their role: Think about "what they care about" based on their role and position. For example, a manager might care about the visibility of progress, while a product owner might care about user value.
• Confirm both minimums and ideals: Ask for both "what is the minimum required?" and "what would be the ideal outcome?" The difference between these is the "room for exceeding."

Your own expectations

On the other hand, you also need to understand your own expectations—that is, your estimate of "how much can I do?"
If this is too low, it won't be a challenge. Conversely, if it is too high, you will suffer from the gap with reality.

There are several approaches to understanding your own expectations as well:

• Reflect on past performance: Recall how long similar tasks took in the past. The fact that "it took three days back then" will improve the accuracy of your estimates.
• Inventory your strengths and weaknesses: Organize which skills needed for this task are your strengths and which are your weaknesses. If there are areas where you are weak, build in some buffer there.
• Be conscious of the boundary between "can do easily" and "needs a stretch": Up to what point is the range that you can do easily right now? Just beyond that lies the goal for "exceeding expectations."

By accurately understanding your own expectations, you will be able to set appropriate goals for "exceeding" them.

Step 2: Set goals to "exceed" expectations

Once you have grasped the expectations, set a goal that exceeds them.

Ask yourself questions such as:

• "If the deadline were halved, how would I finish it?"
• "What would that person do?"
• "What kind of output would the version of me three months from now look at and think, 'This is amazing'?"
• "If I were to create a 'legend' with this work, what would I do?"

The last question might sound a bit exaggerated, but it is surprisingly effective.
The word "legend" carries the implication of "having an impact that people will talk about."
Thinking to that extent can sometimes lead to ideas that you wouldn't normally think of.

Of course, it is sometimes difficult to exceed them significantly right away.
In such cases, aim to exceed them by a small amount.
Even so, it makes a big difference compared to just "meeting expectations."

• Examples of exceeding expectations by a small amount
  • Reduce time: Finish a task estimated at three days in two days. Finishing early has value in itself.
  • Expand the scope: Not only implement the requested functionality but also proactively cover parts that you think "they would probably be concerned about this, too."
  • Improve clarity: Don't just write code; leave documentation on why you chose that design. Write PR descriptions carefully so that reviewers don't get lost.
  • Present options: Instead of asking "Is this okay?", ask "There are Plan A and Plan B, and each has these trade-offs. I recommend Plan A, but what do you think?"

None of these are special.
It is just taking one extra step beyond the line of "doing exactly what I was told to do."

Step 3: Think through the method and learn the necessary skills

Once you have set a goal to exceed expectations, think about how to achieve it.

Instead of just throwing time at it recklessly, think through how you can achieve the goal efficiently.

If you lack the necessary skills, learn them.
In the process of trying to exceed expectations, you may find specific learning goals, such as "if I could do this, I could exceed them."
I find that this allows for much more efficient learning than vaguely thinking, "I need to study."

For sustainable "expectation exceeding"

Having read this far, some of you might think:

"Can you really keep doing that forever?"
"Won't you burn out?"

Cycle of creating time

One way to make it sustainable is to run a cycle of creating margins through time reduction, and dedicating that margin to learning.

For example, you finish a task estimated at three days in two days.
Then, you have one day of time freed up.
You attempt to use this freed time to try to understand the technology used in the task more deeply.
Instead of ending with a superficial understanding, you gain the margin to dig into "why it works that way."

By exceeding expectations, you create time, use that time to learn, and because you learned, it becomes easier to exceed the next set of expectations.
By rotating this cycle well, you can make it sustainable without overextending yourself.

Distinguish "situations where you don't need to exceed"

You don't need to exceed expectations for every single task.

• Routine work that doesn't lead to your own growth
• Situations where no one will be happy even if you exceed expectations
• Periods when there are other things that should be prioritized

In these situations, I think "meeting expectations" is sufficient.
Since human energy is limited, not misallocating your energy is important for sustainability.

In the end, it's not fun unless you exceed expectations

So far, I have touched on rational benefits such as "accumulating trust capital" and "creating a virtuous cycle of growth."

However, setting aside such practical matters, the biggest reason I want to exceed expectations is not for those rational reasons.

Simply put, it's because exceeding expectations is the most fun.

"I didn't expect you to do this much."

That response at that moment. That feeling when the other person's expression changes for an instant.
A quiet sense of fulfillment you feel when you have slightly exceeded your own limits.
This is something you can never taste just by "meeting expectations."

Aiming to output by "meeting expectations" versus aiming to output by "exceeding expectations"—the experience of the same job is completely different.

"How can I do this faster?"
"Can I provide value the other person hasn't noticed?"
"Pushing past my own limits"

There is fun in the process of thinking about such things itself.

Do you "go through the motions" of your daily work, or do you "take on the challenge"?
That small difference, when you look back 10 or 20 years later, might manifest as a huge difference in the scenery you see.

Summary

Exceeding expectations is not just about "working hard."
It is an action to accumulate trust capital, gain growth opportunities, and create a virtuous cycle of further growth through those opportunities.
And above all, the act of trying to exceed expectations makes every day interesting.

This was a weekend where I realized I want to continue to cherish this feeling.