Managing Expectations in Your Business: 3 Key Areas to Focus On

Managing expectations is an essential part of running a successful business.

However, setting unrealistic timelines, creating in a vacuum, and not trusting your dream team can lead to missed deadlines, hurt feelings, and unhappy clients.

Join me to get the tools and strategies you need to foster a productive and successful business environment.

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Collab with Kiva.

See you next time!

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Podcast Transcript:

Kiva Slade 0:01

Welcome to Collab with Kiva, where we let our inner nerd geek out on all the non sexy parts of your business. I'm talking data and operations. Neither as flashy or glamorous, but both are foundational to your business growth. I'm your host, Kiva Slade, your strategy and analytics guide here to break down what feels complicated so it is understandable and executional. Let's dive in. Hello, and welcome to another episode of Collab with Kiva. I am your host, Kiva Slade. And today, we're going to talk about managing expectations, managing expectations, especially as your business grows, and as you grow as a leader, as a business owner. And the reason I want to talk about managing expectations is I'm seeing some things obviously, in the work that I do with clients, also conversations with colleagues, where expectations are not being managed very well. And it is leading to some issues. So I want to get out there talk about this, and really provide some understanding of why it is important to manage those expectations. Whether you are hiring and I see the job announcements looking for a unicorn, a rock star, superstar. Translation, I'm looking for someone to come in with a cape, and magical mystical powers to save my business to do more things than are humanly possible. In many instances. I'm looking for a generalist who understands marketing as well as operations as well as copywriting and graphic design. And I also want them to catalog my recipes on Pinterest, like, manage your expectations. If you are hiring for a marketing person, let it be a marketing person. If you are hiring for a copywriter, hire for a copywriter. If you are hiring for a Jill of all trades, then spell that out in the job description. Let's stop this practice of getting people in the seats, and then rearranging the seats or saying that seat actually is supposed to hold four people when it's designed to hold one.

Kiva Slade 2:42

So managing expectations often starts with time. And understanding that time is your friend. It's not your enemy. Time is your friend, it is not your enemy. John Wooden, the quote coach of the UCLA Bruins often said, "If you don't have the time to do it, right, when will you find the time to do it again?" And being on the back end of many businesses in this online space, time is not being allocated to doing things right. Time is not being allocated to doing things, right. Unrealistic timelines hurt you as the business owner, they hurt your team, and they hurt your business. How do they hurt you? Let's be realistic, you're normally frustrated and or disappointed because you aren't seeing, you aren't feeling that things are getting done in the timeframe that you have set for. And notice I said feel because in many instances, there's a feeling that things are moving too slowly. There's a feeling that things aren't getting done. There's a feeling, Is the feeling backed up by facts in many cases? No. And because of this feeling, you find yourself unable to trust the process. You can't trust the process, because in your mind, it only takes that long, when in reality, there are 152 steps to what you are wanting done. But you've set an unrealistic timeline because you don't manage your expectations. How does it impact your team? In many cases, your team wants to do good work for you. Your team wants to show up with excellence, your team wants to do a good job, they like their job. They like what they're doing. However, they feel pressure to make this thing happen, whatever the thing is, in the end, I feel like they find themselves like the Southwest employees, they're like sleeping on the floor in the airports, or they're buying their own hotel rooms. Because the antiquated software has left them high and dry, without a schedule without a plane in which to board in order to fly customers. Your team is feeling that way. Because for some business owners, you're asking for it. I'm just gonna be honest, you're putting these unrealistic timelines on people with unmanaged expectations. And in many cases, you are hoping that this unicorn rockstar, superstar is going to bust out of some alter ego and put on a cape and I don't know Lois Lane, Linda Carter, they're going to spin around, and they're going to come out as this different person who's magically going to make 50 things happen in the span of two? Again, I feel like you're asking for it. So when it happens, you're disappointed and you're frustrated. But the reality is, you had an unrealistic timeline to start with.

Kiva Slade 6:24

We need to do a better job of managing expectations of how long it actually takes things to get done. In addition to that, it impacts your business when you have unrealistic timelines. Unrealistic timelines impact your client delivery. So if you're telling your clients "Hey, client, yeah, just like your team, no, we can totally do all 50 of those things. Sure. No problem. Yes, we can do that by tomorrow. Yep, yes. Yeah. Yeah, we can." No, you can't. No, you cannot stop it. Cut it out. But when you do that, again, you're now setting up your clients, aka, even your business, for disappointment for frustration. Why? Because you did not manage their expectations. Because you could not manage your own expectations. Your unrealistic timeline, your inability to tell your clients the truth. The truth is, "Hey, client, such and such. Yes, my team can deliver blah, blah, blah, by blah, blah, blah, provided that you provide blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." Okay. And I sounded like Charlie Brown. But the reality is this unrealistic timelines, because you're looking at time as being your enemy, instead of your friend, you have to change that relationship with time. In some of your saying "Kiva, money follows speed and speed is what moves things." Absolutely. However, moving fast with and no real purpose and no intention is just that it's just moving fast. Okay, when you and your team actually put together a plan, you've done your research, you've mapped it out, and then you move fast, you're moving fast with purpose, you're moving fast. With intentionality, you're moving fast to a destination that you know, you can get to, you're not just moving fast to move fast. We can all stand still and run in place really fast. However, if you know that you are trying to run a 5k marathon, a mini marathon, you're not going to practice by standing still and running fast in place or you know, you're going to send yourself out on runs that may start at a mile that then we'll go to two miles that the new build up to three miles to four miles to five miles to whatever the translation is for 5k. And you're going to do those things. Why? Because yeah, you're doing it to get faster.

Kiva Slade 9:49

Absolutely. However you are doing it with purpose and intentionality. So that you get to that destination which is running that marathon. You are not just going to run fast standing still just for the sake of fast. So, time is your friend, it's not your enemy. The second thing that I've seen happening is coaches and consultants shouldn't create in a vacuum coaches and consultants should not create in a vacuum. The reality is there is no perfect scenario. We have factors that are at play economic headwinds that are taking place right now we have mass layoffs taking place. Maybe there's things going on in your personal life, there is no perfect scenario vacuum in which plans need to be created, that are just going to work. Okay, coaches and consultants should take time to understand what is and what actually has been in your business. Creating in a vacuum ignores three different realities, the realities of money, time, and capacity. I've seen clients work with coaches and consultants in Hey, no shade, I do consulting work. However, my approach is I do take into consideration what is what has been what has what's the capacity of your team? Okay, so doing a real financial assessment, let's make sure your math is mathing to bring about this plan that is being created time in timelines, Are they realistic? Capacity? Do you have the right people? Again, if you have the right people, are they in the right seats. And in addition to that, being in the right seats, are you prepared to pay for what you want to attract? You cannot want a Gucci level talent at the street corner knock off price for a Gucci bag. You just can't. The math is not mathing in that particular scenario for you to think that you're going to get again, everyone when they talk about rockstar unicorns, all the things you're wanting to pay this fee for basically five different people rolled into one and expect a level work on all five different levels or roles that you want this person to play. It doesn't work that way. And when you're working with coaches and consultants, they need to take a comprehensive approach to understand to create buy in where it's needed. Also create a plan that doesn't make the team feel like they are on like one of those wild and crazy rides at a amusement park that's been set up in the neighborhood that you are not making them feel like they have with whiplash.

Kiva Slade 13:29

For example, I worked with a consulting client who they had some hiring issues. They were hiring, people seemed like people like the work but then people were leaving. And they had recently had several people leave in a short period of time. They weren't really sure of the reasons. Exit interviews kind of did not truly reveal some of the things in some cases, exit interviews weren't even conducted. And so could I as a consultant come in with a whole master plan of what they needed to do? Absolutely. Did I? Absolutely not. I met with current team. I even reached out and met with two of the people who had left, who because I was an independent consultant very much assured them that their conversation with me was just that. A conversation with me as I tried to gain additional understanding. They shared why they left they shared some of the things that were going on with the business. And in that, again, I feel like I want to use Southwest as an example. People who left a lot of what they shared mirrored people who stayed in terms of some of the inherent operational issues that were taking place within the business. And it was helpful for the owner for the Chief Operating Officer to understand that this is what was going on, and what you might have thought were the most important parts, really, those aren't the things that were leading to why the team was leaving, because they were providing benefits they were providing pay, like, there were factors that they were doing that just would make it seem like, why would people leave. But people had reasons for leaving. And I took the time to understand that. I took the time to take into consideration all of those things that were shared. I took the time to understand their systems and their assessment that we went through, before making recommendations before saying, "Yeah, you should just do this, this, this, that and this", because again, those things are not done in a vacuum.

Kiva Slade 15:49

Another client, I knew things that she needed, however, I also knew the capacity of her team. So I'm going to propose, this is what you can do here, because this is how much team you have. When you hire this., you can also add in this. And then when you also do this, you can add in this. Coaches and consultants, we should not create in vacuums, there are not perfect scenarios that exists where you can just sprinkle pixie dust and say, "You need to have this amazing org chart because this is all the people that you need". Again, you wind up ignoring the reality of money. How much is there? How much is really coming in? How much is operational expenses at this particular point? What's overhead looking like? What's the sales pipeline? Oh, great, there is no sales pipeline, there are no leads, there are things that need to be considered: money, time, capacity. And this creation in a vacuum really does not lend itself to the company as a whole. It does not lend itself to the team. And honestly, it doesn't lend itself well to the business owner to believe that you can create something in a vacuum and or that an outside vendor is going to 100% be responsible for something that's in your business. Even if you have an IT consultant who's your outside vendor, they have to have a point of contact within your company. And because they need this point of contact within your company, that means someone within your company has to own a part of this task, this responsibility. And so there's not this creation of things within a vacuum. And I've worked with my coach and my coaches said we need to now do this. Great, wonderful. Okay, and you have been doing this. So how does your coach propose you make that transition from this to that? Oh, well, my coach didn't think about that part. Exactly! But your team has. And your team is like, "What the heck, what are you doing? Oh, what's going on?" Or your team is saying, "Hey, we've just lost some people. And now you've talked to someone else. And now we're about to do this different thing." Your team feels unsure. Your team feels maybe there's a lack of security here. Your team starts leaving. Do you not allow creation to take place in a vacuum. In a perfect scenario world where money is not an object, neither is time and neither is the capacity of your team. It doesn't work that way. It really doesn't. The last thing is respect and value your team. respect and value your team. We've seen massive layoffs take place. Twitter, Google just the other day. "Hey, guess what? You long tenured here. We don't have enough respect for you, or value you, for us to actually tell you we're just gonna remove your access to stuff. Yeah, you've been here 20 years, we're only 23, 24 years old. You've pretty much know , Gee, but hey, you can't log in."

Kiva Slade 19:25

What what does that do? What does that do? We know that businesses need to make decisions that sometimes are not going to be considered good ones or more favorable ones, because they're a business even though I will say the jury's still out on Google. Like seriously? Your profits? I'm not sure about this decision, but that's a whole nother conversation for another podcast. However, as a business you should always value, you should always respect your team. And actions like that don't show that value and respect. And I think for small business owners, there's even more of a need to do this. As small business owners, we can't compete with the benefits of Google, or the benefits of working at some larger corporation or heck, let's be honest, in this United States, any business under 25 million in revenue is considered a small business. However, there's a difference between a company at $24 million in revenue versus a company at $1 million in revenue. So there's this, there's a range, there's a gap, there's some stretch in there. And so as a small, small business, you want to be mindful of respecting value your team, respect the skills that your team has, the skills that they bring to the table. And maybe one way that you can do that is how can you help them up level? How can you improve the professional development opportunities that are available to them? Are there programs, grants, things that you can take advantage of that allow for professional development for your team that helps you be competitive with a larger small business that's out there? Understand also and honor, they are definitely doing what's best for their company. People are not taking most people, let's clarify, are not taking positions just to do crappy work. They really aren't. They want to do well. In some cases, though, they're not even being supported and able to do well. And in some cases, there's just not the understanding that they're trying to do well. And I think that that's a sad thing. Because if you've put someone in an environment where as a visionary, you're coming with 50,000 ideas every day, and creating that whiplash of "we're doing this. Nope, we're doing this. No, we're doing this. No, we're doing this", your team gets tired. Your team gets tired. Your team does not have that buy in when you come with your next new idea. They're not trusting that. Yeah, sure. We're gonna do this. Uh huh. Yeah, most definitely. Yeah, give it two days. What do you give it? Oh, I give it a day. You're gonna have that side banter taking place? Or the, hey, we're doing this? Well, you just said we weren't doing that. Oh, well, such and such says that we now need to do this.

Kiva Slade 22:55

Okay, that is almost is reminiscent as a child of your parents saying, do you have this because I said so. Even as a child, most of us wanted a little bit more. Whether we felt it was owed to us or whether or not our parents thought they should, you know, wanted a little bit more than because I said, so. Your team wants the same. Understand that not everything is going to go as planned. It's just not. You have to trust your team and trust the process. You just do. Also, you have to check your ego. There are things that your team is going to know more than you do. Consider it a good thing. You did good. You hired up. All right. Because if you're the smartest one there, on all the topics, then you're never going to trust your team. Because you're always going to think that your way is the better way, your way is the most perfect way. And the reality is, and this is coming from a fellow type A, I don't always have the best way. I have the way that was the way for me. But I find that my team, they know more things, they're able to do it better. And I have to check my ego and get out of the way. Get out of the way to let them do it. And do it better than me, in many cases faster than me as well. Because ultimately, that's a good thing. I wanted it done and it's getting done. So this podcast was a slight rant, as well as information. Because I do think managing expectations is important. We want to manage our expectations around time. We want manage our expectations around those that we invite to work and partner with us in business, whether that's a coach or consultant. And we also want to manage our expectations as it comes to our team. We want to make sure that in all of those areas, as our businesses grow, that we do just that we manage expectations. By managing expectations, we put ourselves in a much better position to effectively deal when things don't go right. When we need to pivot when we need to shift direction, because those things happen in business, they're a part of business, they're a part of any business that exists that's going to continue to exist. And as a result of that, we're in a better position, our team is better positioned to move with that to flow with that change that pivot that change of direction, because they realize that their valued their trusted. Oh, we're going to do this within a good timeline. And we've also realized that whoever's providing inputs to us is actually considered money, time and capacity. So it is important to manage those expectations. As you move forward as a business owner, make sure that you are managing the expectations for you, as well as your business, as well as your team, as you grow, as your business grows, and as your team grows. Thank you and tune in next week for more. Bye. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Collab with Kiva. I'm wildly cheering you on as you go forth and execute data and operational efficiencies in your business. If you need additional support, connect with me via my website, the516collaborative.com. Your reviews on Apple are appreciated. See you next week.

Meet Kiva Slade - the Founder and CEO of The 516 Collaborative. With a unique background in high-power politics on Capitol Hill and sixteen years as a homeschooling mama, Kiva found her calling in the online business world as a trusted guide for entrepreneurs looking to build the business of their dreams.

Kiva's work began behind the scenes, orchestrating the back end of businesses and managing teams. But her inner data diva couldn't help but notice that small businesses needed help harnessing the power of data for growth. So she and her team set out to uncover and tidy up the data required to enable clients to grow their businesses confidently and easily.