The Key to Happiness: Setting Realistic Expectations

Parenthood teaches you many things. Some things you expect to learn, like changing a diaper in the back of a car or simply changing a diaper! Then there are things that I’ve learned through raising children that have less to do with bringing up kids than about life itself. They have taught me that most things in relationships revolve around expectations.

Think about it. In your personal and professional relationships, so much ultimately revolves around expectations. If you tell your wife you’re going to be home from work at 6p.m., in time for dinner, but you decide you’re going to meet some buddies for “just one” at the local tavern and roll in an hour late, you may walk into a beehive. In most cases, not because you stopped off, but because the expectation is that you’re going to be home when you said you would.

In business, it’s all about expectations. I will pay you for your product or service at this price and I expect your product is going to live up to its brand promise and work, meet my needs, help me succeed, save me money, etc. When you or your product makes promises, your customers and clients expect you to deliver. When you fail to meet their expectations, things can get ugly. You either start meeting expectations, revise the expectations or find a new client.  Yet, so often in business, the expectations are not clearly defined, or parties choose to not pay attention to the expectations that have been established. In some cases, you can patch things up, reset and move ahead. Often, this does not work, especially in a tight economy where our hard earned dollars are more valuable than ever.

So, whether you’re a salesperson, marketing manager, business owner, new couple or parent, or just living in this world - remember to set clear expectations and execute. Oh, and if you’re one of those new dads learning how to change diapers and find yourself with the baby in the back of the car for the first time, expect this: you’ll need to open the windows.

Tags: Communications, dads, diapers, expectations, Good Business, media, media relations, storyteller, Video Services

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