How many times have you been disappointed by someone?
In those situations, had you made your expectations clear to them?
Did you even know you had expectations?
The bigger the expectation (whether we are conscious of them or not) the bigger the disappointment.
How are others meant to know what we wanted if we didn’t even know? Or if we knew but we didn’t tell them?
I hear this quite often from the managers that I work with. They get disappointed and frustrated when their team didn’t deliver on, or fulfil an expectation (and let’s be fair, it is annoying).
But… when I ask: “did you tell them what you were expecting?” or “were you clear on how and when you wanted this done by?”
Guess what the answer usually is?
“No”
Or, “I shouldn’t have to tell them, they should just know”.
How are they meant to “just know”?
They aren’t mind readers.
At some point, we need to be clear on the expectation.
Yes, once you set the expectation and make it clear then it’s a different conversation – accountability. But, until we set the expectation we can’t really expect it to be met.
If you’re feeling disappointed, ask yourself:
- What expectations were not met?
- Did I make those expectations clear to those around me?
PS – We’re accepting applications The Effective Manager Program for 2023. Join the 140+ people who have attended the program to make themselves more capable, more effective managers.
I promise it will meet all your expectations.
