Episode 45 | Managing Expectations at Work

Welcome to the Better Workday podcast, with your host Niamh Moynihan. In each episode, Niamh shares new insights and practical ideas to help you create a better workday. Hello, hello, and welcome back to the Better Workday podcast. How are you doing?

 

This week we are talking about managing expectations at work. Have you ever poured your heart into a project, only to find it fell short of other people's expectations?

 

Or maybe you've gone the extra mile on something, only to feel completely exhausted by the end of the week and found out all that extra work wasn't needed.

 

If either of these sound familiar, then you've experienced the impact of unmanaged expectations at work, and you're not alone.

 

According to the Better Workday index, 70% of employees typically meet their deadlines. Now, that's great, but here's the catch:

 

60% of people are also working more than 40 hours a week. What does this tell us?

 

It means people are getting their work done, but at a cost. Are they staying late because expectations were unclear? Are they over-delivering because they're not sure what good enough looks like?

 

That's all that I'm going to talk about today: how to manage expectations effectively so you can be successful without burning out. Before we get into the how, let's start with the basics.

 

What does managing expectations actually mean? Expectations are just assumptions about what's going to happen in the future. For example, your manager might have expectations about how your report should be formatted and what level of detail it should include, or your customers might have expectations about how easy your product is to use, and you might have expectations about what your week is going to look like, until life throws you a curveball.

 

Managing expectations means making sure that everyone involved has a clear and realistic understanding of what will be delivered, when, and to what standard.

 

When expectations are clear and aligned, work flows more smoothly. When they're vague or unrealistic, that's when the stress and unnecessary overtime kicks in.

 

When expectations are realistic, you're set up for success instead of failure. It protects your well-being, prevents overwork, and maintains that quality of what you produce, which is great. When you actively manage expectations, you give yourself that breathing room, that space to show up your best.

 

And also, trust is built when expectations are met. If you're always over-promising and under-delivering, people will start second-guessing you, but if you communicate clearly and deliver what you say you will, people trust you more, and working together becomes so much easier.

 

Now let's talk about three different ways expectations show up in the workplace. First, meeting expectations, the ideal zone for me.

 

For most tasks, this is where you want to be. Meeting expectations means delivering what's needed, no more and no less.

 

Then we have exceeding expectations. This is great, but you do need to be strategic about it, because going above and beyond is fantastic, but it should be done selectively and intentionally.

 

I'm telling you now, you do not need to give your level 10 effort to single every task.

 

Ask yourself, "Is this the right place to put in extra effort?" Because if you constantly exceed expectations, you risk setting an unsustainable standard for yourself. And that leads me to number three, unrealistic expectations, or, as I like to say, the burnout zone.

 

This is when expectations are beyond what's possible given your time, your budget, or the resources available to you, and if you find yourself in this position, it's essential to push back and reset those expectations before it leads to burnout. So how do you actually get better at managing expectations?

 

Here are four skills that I find always make a difference. Understand the task. Get clear on deadlines, priorities, and available resources.

 

Always ask one more question to get more clear. Assess your workload. Ask yourself if you realistically have the capacity to take on more work this week, this month, and decide on the level of effort you're going to give.

 

Will meeting expectations suffice, or does this task need some extra effort? Don't forget to communicate regularly.

 

Keep clients, colleagues, or other stakeholders informed so there are no surprises. And here's my bonus one: leave space for "I don't know what yet," or the unexpected.

 

Don't over-plan your time. There will always be unexpected tasks or disruptions, and you need to factor that in. Now, this isn't just about managing other people's expectations.

 

It's also about managing your own, so you do need to think about some more things, like your energy levels. Are you in a busy season?

 

Do you have the energy to take on extra work? Your attention. Are you juggling too many things at once? Is there a lot going on for you? And this leads into your commitments outside of work.

 

What does your work/life balance look like at the moment? Now, to manage expectations with other people, the key is alignment. Before you start a task, take a moment to get a clear picture of what success looks like to them.

 

Ask questions to clarify the need, the expectations before you get started. And refer to episode 41 of the Better Workday podcast if you want some strategies on how to say no at work or when to say no at work.

 

Now, if you're a manager, managing expectations is especially important because it impacts your team. According to my Better Workday index, one in three employees say their manager doesn't clearly set expectations.

 

So, if you're leading a team, ask yourself these questions: Do my direct reports know what's expected of them? Am I communicating with leadership and my fellow managers clearly?

 

And am I considering all the other stakeholders involved? It's not just your team. Maybe it's other people's teams or other departments.

 

Now, here's something simple you can try this week. Ask more questions before starting a task. Instead of making assumptions, take a moment to clarify, what's the deadline?

 

What are the key features or priorities or deliverables? What's the main focus? And then summarize what you've been told or heard and confirm it back with the other person.

 

This small step can make a huge difference in avoiding misalignment later on. Managing expectations is one of the most valuable workplace skills.

 

It helps protect your time, reduce stress, build strong working relationships, and remember, you don't need to give 110% to everything.

 

Choose where to put your energy strategically. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend or colleague who might benefit, and until next time, stay well and have a better workday. Thank you for tuning in. We hope you enjoyed this episode.

 

The Better Workday podcast is about helping you have a better workday, so we'd love to hear your thoughts and questions.

 

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