How to manage your and others' expectations and make life easier for yourself at work

Why learning to manage expectations is important for work

When an employee has a clear idea of ​​what colleagues, bosses, subordinates or partners expect from him, and understands what he himself expects from them, this allows him to direct his professional development in the right direction and improve the results work. And also, if expectations are unrealistic, correct them in time and avoid misunderstandings.

This skill, which even has its name - managing expectations, is often underestimated. To master it, you need diplomacy, the ability to negotiate and an understanding that at work, not only end products and indicators are important, but also interpersonal relationships.

One small US study found that false or unclear expectations canK.-A. O'Meara, J. Bennett, E. Niehaus. Left Unsaid: The Role of Work Expectations and Psychological Contracts in Faculty Careers and Departure / The Review of Higher Education lead to conflicts in the team and even layoffs.

For example, a manager expects his team to work overtime to complete a large project on time and delight a valuable client. But at the same time it does not say anything, does not explain why it is important, does not offer compensation for processing and believes that employees themselves must understand everything and go out of their way to achieve result. As a result, a conflict grows: deadlines are missed, the leader considers the team to be lacking in initiative and carelessness, and the leader's team is a tyrant and tyrant.

Or vice versa: the employee decided that after the shock work on the project, his salary would be increased, but he did not discuss this with his superiors in advance. And when the project was completed, the employee was simply praised, and his expectations were not met. He is very annoyed, disappointed and thinks that he is not appreciated.

Managing expectations - of colleagues and your own - helps to avoid situations like this.

How to manage expectations in a work relationship

Entrepreneurs and management consultants give 1. Managing Expectations: The Most Underrated Leadership Skill / Inc.
2. Why managing expectations is essential in management and practical ways how to do that / CQ Net several important recommendations.

1. Don't make assumptions

You need to rely not on your own hypotheses, but on specific and understandable information that colleagues tell you. Guessing about who wants what is not constructive and leads to mistakes and misunderstandings.

2. Build communication

You need to talk to people - ask questions, set goals very clearly, listen to ideas and objections, and get clear confirmation that your expectations are clear and realistic.

It is also highly desirable to clarify what is expected of you yourself. It is best to ask this directly: "By what time should I finish this work?", "Can I count on a bonus for overwork?"

When people talk over all these moments and make sure that their expectations coincide, they kind of enter into a psychological contract that gives more clarity and trust.

3. Say no in time

If you find out other people's expectations, but think that they are unfair and unrealistic, it is important to say about it as soon as possible and adjust the expectations. This is a perfectly normal working situation.

You can sweeten the pill and offer an alternative scenario. For example: “Unfortunately, we do not yet have enough funding to raise your salary. But as a thank you for your excellent work, I can offer an extraordinary paid vacation or partial payment for your education in refresher courses. "

In the opposite direction, it also works: you need to be ready to reconsider your own expectations, if they turned out to be overestimated, and in every possible way to seek a compromise.

4. Work with expectations consistently

This is not a situation where you can agree once and expect that colleagues will always act in approximately the same direction, guessing what you want from them. Therefore, it is important to regularly check expectations and adjust if required.

5. Always capture expectations

Official contract with signatures and seals is not always appropriate. But based on the results of the discussion, you can, for example, exchange emails or messages in messengers and prescribe that it is you who expect from each other: “I very much hope that you will throw all your strength into this task and be able to work overtime. Of course, you will be paid for overtime, and in the future we will think about raising your salary. ”

This is another way to make sure that both parties understand each other and agree with everything. In addition, the message can be addressed in conflict situations.