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Great Expectations

The Urban Dictionary defines expectations as “a guaranteed way for you to make sure that people will consistently disappoint you.” While Urban Dictionary isn’t necessarily a credible source, let’s face it, many of us have felt this way.

Expectations, whether in our personal or professional lives, are not always met. Yet it’s in our nature to set high expectations for ourselves and others in all aspects of our lives.

Take something simple like a car repair. Last week I took my MINI Cooper into the shop for a routine oil change. I was told it would be done in two-and-a-half hours and, thanks to my thrifty coupon, would cost less than $50. Halfway through the day, I received the call everyone dreads – the call from the mechanic. I was told they found a few things wrong with it – something’s leaking, something’s worn and something needs replacing. Needless to say, that was not what I expected.

In any given profession, you are constantly trying to manage the expectations of your boss, clients, vendors and colleagues all on a daily basis. You can set expectations by following the rule of “under promise, over deliver.”  By under promising something you are setting a more reasonable expectation; and if you exceed expectations, or over deliver, then you can reap the benefits. For example, if you are working on a project that doesn’t have a set deadline but you think it will take three days to complete, set the expectation that it will be completed in the next week – under promise. Then submit the final project before the deadline – over deliver. This allows you more time to do quality checks on the project and shows that you can manage your time wisely, therefore pleasing your audience.

Unfortunately, most projects don’t have week-long deadlines; instead, the deadline was yesterday. That doesn’t mean that you can’t still manage the expectations. If you’re swamped with X, Y and Z and are asked to drop everything to work on W, politely remind your boss or client that by working on W, it requires you to put X, Y and Z on hold. Then, in case they come back later and ask for those three items, you can say, “I was working on W per your request but I will complete X, Y and Z in the next hour/day/week.”

A “few things” wrong with my car totaled more than $700 and required an overnight stay at Hotel MINI. This blog might be lost on mechanics and cable guys everywhere but at least I can pass the “under promise, over deliver” rule onto other worthy professionals.

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Posted by Liz Viscardi on 09/14 at 10:46 AM
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