Over the course of your career, there are bound to be times when expectations are unclear, conflicting, or downright impossible to meet. If you’ve already experienced this, you know how frustrating and demotivating it can be. According to Gallup, organizations where workers have clear performance expectations are likely to see benefits in productivity. Here are some ways managers and their team members can set reasonable expectations.
Ask Yourself What You Should Do
Throughout our personal and professional lives, we are confronted with what we “should” do. Often the “should” is defined by what we think we are responsible for or what the group believes would be best. But what’s perceived as something you “should” do isn’t necessarily an effective use of your time. Take a step back and think critically about the situation. Reset your expectation from doing what you “should” do, to doing what is most productive. Adjusting your mindset will help you align your actions with your goals and those of your organization.
Establish Healthy Boundaries
It can be difficult to establish healthy boundaries, especially at work. Some of us fall victim to the misguided mindset that the more we work, the better we are as people. Mix that belief with a strong desire to succeed, and you may soon be leading an unbalanced life. In reality the more you work, the more quickly you burn out. Avoid this by setting reasonable expectations with your manager and team. Maybe you don’t respond to emails after hours, or you block time for projects and let colleagues know when you are not available. Establishing realistic parameters ensures you are setting clear expectations that others can respect and support.
Communicate Clearly
A Gallup study found that nearly half the respondents said they aren’t sure what is expected of them at work. Clear and consistent communication is essential for managers when it comes to making sure your staff understands what you need them to do. Providing regular, direct, and actionable feedback will help your direct reports course correct and remain on track.
Just as it is important for managers to communicate well, employees must also convey what’s on their minds. You can’t expect managers to know when you’re going through a hard time or when you’re overwhelmed. It’s critical to effectively communicate what you are working on, when you need help, and when deadlines are in jeopardy. To make sure you get the support you need while letting others know your status, prioritize regular, open communication.
Proceed Professionally
Professionalism is important for all employees, regardless of their level. That means remaining polite, listening, collaborating, and respectfully acknowledging others. An expectation of professionalism sends the message that everyone in the workplace is valued and heard. Effective managers take steps to be sure team members understand the expectations for workplace behavior, and successful employees do their best to meet them.
Setting reasonable expectations allows both employees and managers to create an environment that motivates, engages, and supports all members of the team. A lack of reasonable expectations can create confusion, disengagement, and decreased motivation that can negatively impact individual employees and the overall business. To create a positive and productive work environment where everyone can succeed, both employees and managers have a responsibility to make sure expectations are set — and met.
ON TOPIC
As the calendar year comes to an end, it’s a good time to reflect on both the successes and challenges of the past 12 months. Carving out time to sit quietly and consider expectations that were set and met, as well as those that were not reasonable can be eye-opening and motivating. As you contemplate the past year and prepare for a fresh start in 2025, remember your roots — where you are grounded. We leave you with the inspirational words of Dr. Henrietta Mann, Southern Cheyenne, AISES Council of Elders Emerita.
To understand the challenges of our contemporary world, let us look to our grandparent generations to ascertain their thinking and coping strategies as they confronted new experiences. They, too, contracted unknown diseases that the strangers brought to their encampments, villages, pueblos, and homelands. They, too, saw their populations decline, and mourned their losses. Ultimately, they accepted their changed circumstances as the ongoing nature of life. What sustained them was their unwavering hope for the future.
We love this Earth, and Indigenous thinking teaches us to embrace each day. We are expected to acknowledge the continuity of our kinship obligations every day: one to another, and to all life. Those relationships include the Earth, four winds, sun, and water. Our ancestors in their systems of traditional ecological knowledge view this Earth as a comprehensive, interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent complete whole. They existed within one environment and treated this Earth and all that exists within it as beloved and honored relatives with whom they were to live in respectful reciprocity. They were to live in mutuality with all life and to walk lightly upon this much-loved Earth.
This cursory look at American Indian history is just a glimpse of traditional ecological knowledge, an extraordinary legacy that advances the basic principle that all life exists within one Earth. Human beings are but a single small part of our Earth, which is made up of a network of egalitarian relationships.
Remember: Water is life. You are water related to the rain, streams, rivers, and oceans.
Remember: Sun is light and warmth. You carry the fire from the sun within, and you are related to the sun and the sacred fire at your ceremonies.
Remember: Air is the breath of life. You carry this sacred breath of life in your lungs and are related to the winds that blow from the four directions.
Remember: Earth is your only home. There is no place else for you to live. You are Earth.
Like you, I am the Earth. Ho’e Na’Ne’hove
