So it happened again, you delegated a task to someone on your team but there’s something not right with what they came back with.
Or, you went above and beyond for a client and are confused with the lacklustre thanks.
Maybe your manager keeps piling more things on your plate, it’s obvious you are swamped so why do they still do it?
If you’ve ever been in any of those situations, then it’s likely there was a breakdown in how you manage expectations.
Why is managing expectations at work important?
I consider this a keystone skill for remote workers. All work environments benefit from this, but when you work in a distributed team with more a-sync methods of communication the chance for misunderstanding increases.
Some other benefits you will see from improving how to handle this:
- Trust increases as you deliver on your promises
- Communication is clearer and less confusing
- Tasks are more effectively prioritised
- Stronger boundaries
- Reduced overwhelm
Framing the conversation
I always thinking about this framework when I am trying to manage expectations. It was first introduced to me by Andrés Novoa during our coaching sessions. But if I explain it badly, that’s on me.
The main thing is, can this provide a useful way to think about a problem.
We need to be clear about what is the result or the outcome that we want to see.
We then need to reach an agreement with the other person about when this result will be achieved by. They are then making a commitment to achieving this result by the agreed deadline.
We are collaborating with others, not making demands. Often, managers simply tell other people want to do and then wonder why it doesn’t get done.
Flipping the conversation in this way drastically increases the chance of success, as you are actually getting a commitment from them instead of dropping more on them which they reluctantly say yes to.
Those commitments will determine the actions which need to be taken to get to the result. Your job is managing the commitment side and supporting them in achieving the goal.
Don’t be a task micromanager!
Delegating tasks
Let’s apply this into some examples.
You need someone on your team to take something off your plate to help free up some of your time to work on another project.
Previously you might simply jump on a call and say:
I need you to produce client reports for me every Friday, just go into the platform and add the data into the template, export and send it to me when ready
A made up example
Here, you focused on the specific actions.
You also stuck yourself in the middle which makes you a bottleneck in the process.
On top of that, you didn’t give any context. Now, it’s just another thing added to their list which they need to get through, not exactly motivating.
Using this framework, you can first explain the result that you want to see and why this is important.
In this case, we actually want to make sure clients are regularly updated. That’s the outcome we want from this.
Also, giving this task to someone else is a chance for them to develop new skills and also better understand a different aspect of the business.
Ask how they feel about taking on that task and could they commit to sending these updates to clients each week.
If they are happy to take on this new task, you’ve given clear guidance on what you need to see for this to be considered a success. You can show them what you currently do to give them a starting point, but these specific actions are not the important part.
Framing it in this way gives them space to own this process and develop it further.
Maybe even delivering a better result than what you were able to.
Managing up
Let’s flip the example.
Your boss just came to you and dumped some client report creation on your plate, they told you how they do it and they want to check it as well.
They seemed to have forgotten some other task they already asked you to do every Friday, so now the end of the week is getting jammed up and it makes no sense. Some other senior person also needs your help for a few hours each week on something else.
You are dealing with multiple conflicting priorities, with multiple people and you presume your Fridays foreer being ruined is the only option.
It’s not! It’s ok to push back and try to get some clarity.
I would love to help with that but I already have A, B and C on my plate. Which of those would you like me to deprioritise to make space for this extra task?
This makes them consider which of the tasks you have are most important, or maybe there is someone else who is better positioned to help with this.
But if not, go deeper.
To help me manage this, would it be ok that I produce a report for each client weekly, so that they still get regular updates but I can fit this around my other obligations.
You managing expectations like a pro
No reasonable person will say no to this and who wants to work for unreasonable people anyway.
Once you no longer get feedback on these reports, you can suggest that you send them directly to clients to free up your managers time even further.
First you have to show that you are a safe pair of hands and that it is being handled. This will be appreciated and also will also give you back a bit more flexibility too.
Everything is negotiable, and renegotiable.
What’s the commitment
It’s important to revisit the commitment regularly and check how things are progressing.
With this you can see what has happened so far and does that line up with everyone’s understanding about where things should be.
This ongoing feedback loop is critical to make sure the project doesn’t drift.
It also means if problems have occurred, they can be raised and guidance given about how to move forward.
When you have made a commitment and something is going wrong, it is always better to raise the issue early so it can be addressed.
Maybe the scope of the project can change, maybe they can get extra resources for the project or give additional support.
In a positive working environment, people will appreciate you having the difficult conversations and bringing issues to them so they can be resolved. You’ll build a reputation of being reliable.
The alternative is, you let the project drift off and potentially fail.
If that happens, you’ll always be asked “why didn’t you tell me sooner”.