Written by: Neela Pirwitz, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Expectation management is an important tool to increase efficiency and enhance collaboration. By being aware of your capacity to handle your current workload, asking clarifying questions and setting boundaries we can ensure that we are on the same page as our colleagues and reduce the risk of conflict and therefore stress.
How often does it happen to you, that you receive a new task at work, your manager explains it to you and immediately after they are done explaining you wonder “Wait, what am I supposed to do exactly?”. Most of us will probably have at least one example come to mind. While the task is being explained it seems pretty straightforward, but as soon as you start implementing, questions start to arise. While answering these questions you might suddenly realise that the project will take a lot more time than you initially thought. As a result, your stress levels can increase, and both your day-to-day work and the new project can suffer from reduced quality.
To prevent this from happening, we can use expectation management. Expectation management allows us to clearly communicate expectations from the beginning. Hence, the requirements of a project are more likely to be met, and less corrective work will have to be done once the project is completed. Therefore, productivity is enhanced while simultaneously lowering stress, as we are more aware of what we are agreeing on from the beginning.
Here are three steps you can follow to improve expectation management of yourself and others:
Be aware of your capacities
Before you can start to manage expectations, you must be aware of your current responsibilities and capacities. To create awareness, you can ask yourself the following questions:
How big is my current workload?
Is there any room to take on additional tasks?
If so, what type of tasks would be realistic to add on?
Answering these questions will help you understand your workload and allow you to give an accurate indication of how helpful you can be to a colleague at that moment. This will allow you to stick to a reasonable amount of responsibilities and keep your stress levels in check while allowing your colleagues to understand what they can expect of you. If necessary they can then look for someone else to help them out. This will be advantageous to both you and them, as you can reduce stress and they can find someone who has the capacity to focus on the task at hand and deliver good quality work.
Ask clarifying questions
Communication is key in expectation management. Since every person is operating based on their own knowledge and experience, we tend to jump to conclusions and assume we know what another person means, rather than asking for clarification. However, since we operate based on our experiences, and our colleague has a very different set of experiences, this is a breeding ground for miscommunication. It is therefore wise to go into the conversation ready to ask every question that comes to mind. Even if something seems obvious, ask if you understood correctly. This will show that you genuinely care about performing the task correctly and will prevent misunderstandings. Ultimately this can save a lot of time and energy, as there will be fewer mistakes that need to be corrected.
Before agreeing to assist with a task, clarify what the time frame will be, who else will be involved, what the most important aspects of the task are and if there is anything else you should know before starting. You can then evaluate if the task fits your current schedule.
Generally, it is better to over-communicate than to assume. Once you gathered all the details summarise them and ask for confirmation that you understood correctly. Receiving this confirmation will make it clear to both sides that you are on the same page and have a similar idea of what the outcome will be.
Set boundaries
When setting expectations, it is also important to set boundaries. The goal of setting boundaries in expectation management is not to make sure you don’t do any extra work in addition to what you are already doing. It is to ensure that the additional work you would be doing is of good quality and would actually be of help to your colleague. This is to prevent the arrangement from costing both of you time and energy without a desirable outcome.
For example, if you are being approached to join a project, there is no need to respond right away. It is perfectly fine to request some time to consider your own workload and if it would be manageable to join another project at this time. Additionally, it would be a good idea to ask clarifying questions. Once you have this information, you can make an informed decision, about what will be best for you and your colleague.
If after assessing your own workload you conclude that you cannot effectively contribute to the project, you can confidently decline. Since saying ‘no’ can be difficult, especially in the workplace, try giving a reason while saying no. For example, if your workload is currently too big and you are doubting that you will be able to deliver the quality your colleagues are used to, you might want to communicate this. This will show that you are considerate and want them to have a high-quality final project, even if they then need to ask someone else for help. Alternatively, you can offer them a compromise. You might let them know that you would love to help but that you are only able to do so two weeks from now, once your own workload decreases. Another option would be to ask for a smaller part of the project and for someone else to be brought on board. It is then up to them to decide if they want to agree to the compromise, or would rather ask for someone else's help.
As you can see, expectation management can be an important tool for managing your work-related stress levels. Communicating your expectations and explicitly asking your colleague to define their expectations can help avoid misunderstandings, conflict and unnecessary work. As a result, you can work more efficiently, in better collaboration and even reduce stress.
Neela Pirwitz, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Neela Pirwitz, is a Jay Shetty certified burnout-prevention and well-being coach. She studied psychology and is now working for an international organization. Based in the Netherlands and coaching globally, she is working with professionals who want to become more efficient in how they work, create a better work-life balance, or restructure their routines and habits to prevent burnout. Neela’s mission is to help her clients to fit their work into their life, rather than life into their work.
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