Manage expectations through building trust, sharing understanding and fostering effective communication. While this exercise may, sometimes, bring a person with exceptionally high expectations down to a more realistic zone, you do not want to have managing expectations become a habitual downplaying of the possibilities. Do not use it to pull down those among the team who have lofty goals or see a potential that is not yet in reach. You need this energy and enthusiasm in your journey of continuous improvement.
If you effectively build trust, your stakeholders or team members will believe that you have their best interests at heart, so your estimates or assessments of what is achievable is accurate to the best of your abilities. They will know that you are not hiding excess capacity for another project or that you are not overstating what’s possible to feign importance or ability. Be truthful, but build your assertions on fact.
Be prepared to share your facts, so that others will clearly understand the reasoning at the base of decisions or estimates. Keep an open mind, and share with the intent of hearing the other opinions and learning new, innovative ways to achieve more. Through open discussions, you can gain buy-in for plans and schedules as well as acceptance of the outcomes. Shared understanding builds empathy, healthy relationships, and valuable partnerships.
The effectiveness of your communication is critical to avoid misunderstandings. Seek feedback to confirm clarity and understanding. Communicate face-to-face wherever possible, or use rich tools so you can see body language and get the feel for the mood that is growing. Watch written communication for ambiguous messages or potential misunderstandings. People tend to hear or read what they want to hear or read; it’s natural, so roll with this and don’t let it upset you. Practice epathy, and see things from their side to help you determine where there is potential for mis-matched expectations or hopes.
You will not be able to deter everyone from hoping for miracles, nor would you want to. But you can help to ensure that those expectations do not create rifts in teams or disruptions in your teams’ achievements. Set reasonable goals based on fact. Test the facts over time and adjust your own understanding. Keep the relationships open and maintain your integrity as you build expectations in a healthy manner.
And then let the dreamers push you just a little beyond what you’d ever hoped.