Weekly Alert: What Do You Expect?

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[Read more](2e5a5/ct9_1/1?sid=TV2%3AXiiND08cw)by Sydni Craig-Hart [High-Level Strategy] Some more of this week's best stuff: - [4 Marketing Mistakes and (Unsolicited) Advice on How to Fix Them](2e5a5/ct10_0/1?sid=TV2%3AXiiND08cw) by Kim Moutsos [General Success Tips] - [Sample 11 of the Best B2B and B2C Content Marketing Ideas of 2018](2e5a5/ct11_0/1?sid=TV2%3AXiiND08cw) by Ann Gynn [Content Creation] - [Chief Content Officer: A Year of Insights](2e5a5/ct12_0/1?sid=TV2%3AXiiND08cw) by Jonathan Crossfield [Trends and Research] - [4 Real-Life Ledes: Why They Work (and What Could Be Better)](2e5a5/ct13_0/1?sid=TV2%3AXiiND08cw) by Ann Gynn [Content Creation] [] [] A Note From Robert Rose What Do You Expect? Last week, a client told me about some trouble he has with a writer on his team. “He’s continually producing subpar work,” he said. “I’m not sure what to do.” I asked if he’d considered raising his expectations for writing quality. My client seemed incredulous. “No,” he said. “I’m just trying to get him to first base. I’ve been trying to manage his expectations about where he fits in.” In business, it’s common to hear people talk about the need to manage others’ expectations. Usually, they’re not talking about raising expectations. To manage expectations is to lower what’s expected to a level we’re comfortable performing within. We rationalize that it’s about communication. In fact, search Google for best practices in managing expectations and you will find what amounts to this simple advice: “Communicate your intentions clearly.” This is all well and good. But if you are planning to set or manage expectations for your team, your boss, a client, or a customer, ask yourself this question: Am I communicating my expectations or am I trying to lower theirs? Consider what it’s like when you’re excited about some innovative thing you want to do or about the potential for your team to accomplish something. Your expectations are likely off-the-charts high. But have you had to put a damper on that excitement when you take the idea to management? Have you ever managed people’s expectations so that you’d be sure to meet them? Have you ever said (even to yourself), “Let’s under-promise and over-deliver?” This is also why the phrase “exceed expectations” is a flawed way to deliver a service. It’s the equivalent of the question that Nigel Tufnel (the lead guitarist character in the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap) gets asked when he’s showing that his amplifier goes to eleven. “Why don’t you just make ten louder?” the interviewer asks. Nigel explains, “Because this one goes to eleven.” If we feel a need to “exceed their expectations,” maybe those expectations aren’t high enough. There’s a psychological phenomenon at work here. It’s called the [Pygmalion Effect](2e5a5/ct14_0/1?sid=TV2%3AXiiND08cw), which is similar to self-fulfilling prophecy. Researchers have found that simply having high expectations for people can propel them to better results than they would otherwise have achieved. My advice to my client was to believe in his team member. I said, “Instead of telling this writer that you’re trying to get him to first base, why not tell him that you expect a home run?” Align the expectations to 10. It doesn’t have to be 11. It just needs to be highest for both of you. Next time you find yourself managing expectations, check whether you’re communicating your own or lowering theirs? If we raise their expectations to match our own, might we get more of what we want? I expect we would. It’s your story. Tell it well. Robert Rose Chief Strategy Advisor Content Marketing Institute This article from Robert is available only in this newsletter for you, the newsletter subscriber. If you have friends that would see value in Robert's weekly updates, please have them [subscribe](2e5a5/ct15_0/1?sid=TV2%3AXiiND08cw). 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