Managing Expectations for Unexpected Surprises That Exceed Them

Manage expectations, deliver an unexpected surprise—that's what exceeding expectations is all about.

Once upon a time, there was a boss whose year-end performance fell short, leaving him unable to pay out bonuses. So he came clean with his team: the bonus was off. The result? Come spring, employees flooded in with resignation letters and bolted.

Well, he learned from that mistake. The following year, once again, year-end performance tanked and there was no bonus to hand out. So how did he handle it this time?

He leaked the rumor a month early: we're laying people off. Anxiety rippled through the office. But when year-end arrived, he stepped up and said he'd already sold his house and car to keep everyone on board—no layoffs, no one left behind, because we're a family.

Touched to tears, the employees didn't even ask for their bonuses. They worked overtime like their lives depended on it, driven by a fierce desire not to let down the boss who had stood by them.