Misaligned Expectations, Everywhere

July 18 2022
By: Shawn M. Galloway

Projects do not fail in the end, they fail in the beginning, usually because expectations were not aligned. I find this perspective extends in all possible direction - personal relationships as well as professional ones. In psychology, it is taught that all disappointment is based on a set level of expectations. We humans do a better job aligning others to our results expectations than we do at aligning others to our behavioral expectations. Moreover, many companies do a consistently poor job at performance evaluations, annual or otherwise.

Before being disappointed at results or any outcomes in a relationship with others, first ask yourself, how well aligned were the performance expectations? Was it clear not just for results, but what behaviors were expected as well? Before you hold others accountable for their results, first hold yourself accountable for being a great communicator of your expectations.

"The enemy of accountability is ambiguity." — Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

"Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result." — Bob Proctor

"Accountability is making sure people are doing what is necessary to produce the results, before checking to see how everything turned out." — Shawn Galloway