How are you managing expectations at work?

How much does your team care about your business? 

In this blog we are sharing a preview from one of our mentor sessions inside ELEVATE with our Mindset Mentor, Aaron Applefield from Stoic Coaching. 

Watch this preview now, and learn more about managing expectations at work, or read the transcript below.

First thing I want to talk about is expectations. 

So when we talk about people and expectations, this is something that I’ve had to work really hard on in the last two years, because I was raised in a military family, as I told you, where expectations were massive upon everyone that was in the family. And for me, that’s something that I’ve kind of inherited, and I have to be careful with it. Because  I have to keep my expectations of others in check. 

Managing Client Expectations

I think all business owners and all people in business are aware of the importance when we’re talking to clients about managing our clients expectations, so that way, we can have the best outcomes possible. 

The worst thing is when clients don’t know what’s going on, and they’re left in the wind, and we haven’t managed the expectation. So my attitude always with the industry is that if something is going to be late, I’m going to tell my clients right away so I can manage their expectations as best as possible. I’m not going to put my head in the sand. 

Managing Your Own Expectations

The image that’s on the screen right now from Gary Vee, I love this guy, he is just awesome. Everyday I try to look up something of his because it’s not a day that goes by there’s not something I learned, or something that he just reinstills in me that I should be doing. It reads in case you can’t see it:

“I don’t expect my employees to work as hard as I do”. 

It’s not their business. 

Now, here’s the disclaimer. If you come across a unicorn, and you meet somebody who treats your business, like it’s their own, because they’re out there, I’m going to admit, I’m one of them. It gets me in trouble sometimes. You know, I tend to treat the company as though it’s my business. And sometimes I will do things and not ask for permission. And I’ll just do what I think is right, sometimes it backfires. 

But my boss, he considers the source and he knows that I’m doing it because I do treat it as it’s my own. Sometimes it’s not so good late at night, whenever I’m responding to emails when I probably should be sleeping and spending time with the kids. And that’s again, managing my own expectations.

Does Your Team Care About Your Business?

That on the screen right there, is something that probably every business owner needs to reflect on. The goal is obviously to try and get our team around us to care about the business as much as you do. 

But realistically, that’s probably never really going to hit the mark. But we can get close. 

Now the example I want to give is, if you have children, or if you’ve ever babysat in your life, I can’t think of a time ever that I haven’t left contact details for poison control or emergency numbers or the neighbour’s number, or they haven’t been left for me whenever someone trusted me enough to look after their kids when I was younger. 

It’s kind of like their business, right? I mean, at the end of the day, we all care, to some extent, for everything that we do, or we wouldn’t be putting our time into. 

Apathy is the worst thing on the planet. 

And it’s the thing that scares me the most when it has to do with working with teams. But when you take a look at what Gary Vee’s saying, I guess the question you have to ask yourself is, are you managing your own expectations of your staff members? 

Because if you have an expectation that they’re going to treat the business as if it’s yours, then you’re setting yourself up right away for failure. 

And you’re probably not going to be on your front foot and have it in the front part of your mind to constantly be empowering them, and making sure that you’re trying your best to make sure that they view it as their business as well. 

Empowering Your Team

There is a reason why there’s an airline in the United States called Southwest Airlines. There’s a reason why Southwest Airlines was one of the few airlines that has never gone into receivership, and has never had any issues. And it’s because they give all of their staff shares in the business. They’ve all got skin in the game. 

Whether it’s the guy or the lady who’s cleaning the toilets on the plane, or whether it’s the individual that’s flying the plane, or loading the baggage, or the people that are helping people line up to scan. And this is a low cost airline. Southwest Airlines does not have assigned seats, you get a number, you stand in line, and it’s basically you jump on the plane and get your seat.  

But the culture that they have in that business, and they’ve chosen to create, because they give everyone skin in the game. That is a way to try and get staff members to care more. The other way to get staff members to care more is by doing little things. Finding out what their interests are, talking to them. 

Every single person that I’ve met inside ELEVATE cares. It’s very evident from the ‘Monday Momentums’, the ‘Friday Wins’ from the retreat we’ve all been down to, you all care. 

And I’m sure that your staff see that as well. 

Do They Know You Care?

The question I’m asking you is, do they know that you care about them? Do they know that you care about them outside of the job space? So, that’s the first part, are you managing your expectations? Because if you’re managing your expectations, and if you have a thought in the back of your mind that they’re going to treat the business as their own, you’re basically going to be constantly disappointed, because you’re going to have the expectation that they’re going to act that way. 

And when it doesn’t happen, you’re going to get frustrated and angry, as opposed to, if it’s in the forefront of your mind about how do I create a culture where they’re going to care as much as humanly possible about a business that is not theirs, then you’re going to be very proactive and seeing the little things. 

Because I’m sure all of you business owners out there are aware, it’s the little things. That’s why you’re part of this group. Is to highlight the little things and the processes. And on a daily basis if we’re thinking about those things, and how we can motivate our staff because everyone is motivated differently. 

For instance, me. Our work quite often they try to put in spins and bonuses and things of that nature. I’m not motivated by that. I know a lot of staff are but for me, as I mentioned before, time is the most valuable thing for me. And the fact that I own two businesses. I have been involved in baseball as everyone knows. I work full time. When my boss says to me, “hey, Apples, I can see you’re doing a great job, why don’t you have this afternoon off?” 

Or I have the autonomy to come and go as I please. Or for instance, they all know full well that because they weren’t able to give me a raise they offer me to have from 4:30 onwards until 7:30, 8:30 at night that’s dedicated as my baseball time. 

To me, that’s the most valuable thing that they can possibly do to motivate me is by giving me some of my time back. And that encourages me to work harder whenever I’m there. 

What I’m going to challenge everyone to do today, is to manage your expectations. Have that in the forefront of your mind about how you can grow that team culture and how you can make them look at the business every day and be excited when they wake up to come and be an empowered part of the team. That’s what I’m going to encourage you all to do.

And that’s the end of this preview of one of our ELEVATE mentor sessions, with Aaron Applefield, our Mindset Mentor.

Want more on this topic?

Check out the following resources:

• Is Your Team on the Same Page?
• Setting Expectations in Your Team, and 
• Communication Tips for Builders. 

For the full mentor session, plus loads more help and resources to help you have a successful and thriving building business, head to our group mastermind and coaching program, ELEVATE to join up. We know that being a member provides you with the support and accountability you need to improve your projects, business and life.