Exceeding Our Expectations - Is There a Recipe?

In my last post I talked about the power and challenge of our own expectations - how these expectations could be powerful motivators in some cases while at the same holding the potential to be demoralizing and debilitating if not managed against some bar of realism.  One of the questions posed to me as a result was whether in fact I possessed any recipe or model for exceeding one's expectations.  To that I offer the experience of myself and what I have also seen work with many of my coaching clients.

I believe the first element of exceeding one's expectations comes from conscious awareness and thought being put to understanding where you currently are and how satisfied you are with that state of affairs.  As with all leadership, one must start with self first, develop one's self-awareness of strengths and opportunities in order to form an understanding of where to from here.  In this I also do not believe in the artificial separation of professional life from personal life - most of us don't live to work, rather we work to live. Self-awareness and commitment to a plan must come from a holistic understanding of what is in play for us.

Consciousness

That Annoying Time Between Gaps 

Unfortunately, that is sometimes where too many of us stop.  We do develop some sense of dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs but believe ourselves unable to change the trajectory of our lives - others have expectations of us, a shift would be outside of our social norms or conventions, its too late in life to make a big change, we are fearful of the unknown or even that first big step, or we lack experience in taking what we perceive as too large a risk.  So how to next overcome those barriers?

I suggest a couple of different ways of resetting our expectations.  First consider your past.  More often than not, we have some experience in taking first steps, daunting steps at the time, that have allowed us to enjoy elements of success.  There are lessons there to reflect on.  For myself, I have had 25 years of leadership experience prior to becoming an executive coach that has provided me with a litany of learning opportunities, (hard) lessons, and affirmations of capability that I can use going forward.  The same holds true for my life experiences over 52 years.

Second, I believe we have much to learn from those around us.  What this sometimes requires though is broadening our circle of contacts and comparators.  In this regard, I have to say that my first few years outside of healthcare have been truly eye-opening.  Whether it is the benchmark set by my working colleagues or that of my clients I have come to appreciate how much more significant the world and the opportunities in it are then what my limited vision allowed me to previously appreciate.  I have both been inspired - and prodded - by the aspirations and achievements of others.  In the light of their inspiration I have often had to ask myself "Why not me too?"  Their courage and achievement has allowed me to become more aware of my own possibilities.

Self-awareness, dissatisfaction, anxiety and aspiration can only carry one so far though.  The next key ingredient, which should take a significant amount of work, is that of developing a tangible, specific and action-oriented vision of the desired future state.  As I have stated before, I believe such a vision must be informed by both professional and personal goals.  Here is where more personal courage is called upon.  For myself, I have continually developed and set stretch targets for myself since starting my new career path.  So rather than settle for re-establishing equality on the basis of what I once enjoyed as a healthcare executive why not set progressively bolder professional targets?  And match that up with more ambitious personal goals as well?  We are our own worst limiting factor.  Don't have a particular skill set you believe is required to reach the desired vision?  Invest in getting it!  Don't clearly understand the challenge or opportunity ahead?  Seek out advice.  But above all don't think small.  If your vision is clear enough and important enough you will do what it takes to succeed - and often times the significance of the barriers is only as strong as we imagine them to be.

Visions can be daunting.  Too many times I have seen friends and colleagues become discouraged as they don't reap large enough rewards soon enough to sustain them through the journey to reach their new goals.  It really is like the fate of many New Year's resolutions - gone within the month of January.  In my view the biggest reason for such failure is the lack of understanding of the length of time it takes to truly achieve something great and the need for some level of reinforcement for the effort being put in.  So success in achieving a vision comes from breaking it down into shorter term goals tied to specific actions.  Have an income target or growth objective for 2 to 5 years down the road?  What has to happen month-by-month starting now to start you moving forward?  What are the strategies that must be employed in the next quarter?  Set the small, achievable steps that allow you to evaluate progress.

Evaluation is also key.  Without monitoring of your efforts and results truly any direction will do.  It's like being back on autopilot with the added challenge that there are a host of things to distract us from our vision on a daily basis.  Evaluate the critical variables and plans on the road to your success.  When you falter - and you will - don't use that fact to berate yourself, become dejected and quit.  Rather, critically evaluate whether your strategies and actions were the right ones after all, whether you have sustained commitment to them, and whether you still wish to use those tools to reach your grand vision.  I literally evaluate my plan and status every month.  I always find that there is a least one strategy not implemented or one metric falling short of target.  Each time I must decide what my course of action should be.  However, the vision is never questioned.  The long-term goals remain valid and desirable.  I just have to overcome temporary setbacks and small bumps on the road to my next success.

On at least an annual basis this evaluation takes on a more significant tone.  What I have found is that through the constant application of the process identified above I have been consistently upping my game - I have been setting newer and bigger goals for myself because I have demonstrated to myself the ability to succeed and and exceed my previous expectations.  My possibilities are truly limited only by my own vision of what is possible.

I may not win the Boston Marathon or become Time's Person of the Year...or can I?  Maybe I have to rethink my own expectations.  I challenge you as a leader to exceed your own expectations.  It's the greatest thing you will ever do.

_________________________________________________________

Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC

President & Founder - BreakPoint Solutions

gregh@breakpoint.solutions 

www.breakpoint.solutions 

780-250-2543

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.