Expectations

Here's a pretty widely discussed topic that I don't think can be discussed enough. Expectations. It may be one of the greatest challenges and most invaluable services you can provide - no matter if its your boss, co-workers, customers, or even your wife.

I heard this from one of my customers today. They were working with one of my vendors and were discussing how reactive this particular vendor was vs what my customer would have preferred them to do - tackle issues, timelines, etc before they came up.

In order to effectively manage a process, and therefore your customers, boss, etc, you have to let them know what to expect before they start asking questions about where something is in your process. Be ahead of the question and set appropriate expectations before you're having to apologize for something not happening when someone thought it would.

You'll find that not everyone loves to hear at the onset a realistic expectation. Many times people will try to push and nudge you to change your timeline, quote, etc. But remember that you'd rather set an appropriate expectation now that you can beat, rather than set yourself up for failure down the road.

Delayed failure maybe easier to face since you don't have to deal with it today, but upfront expectation management will ensure that your client or boss is actually satisfied with the result at the end of the day. Focus on the result - speak up now.