Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Managing...Expectations

January 28, 2009

As many of you know I have worked across the globe in a multitude of high-risk, high reward assignments however my current position takes me into the world of the "not-for profit community"

Now let me first state that I love what I do - other then being a soldier it is the most tangible assignment I have ever had and affords me the opportunity to look in the mirror at the end of the day and KNOW that I really have made a difference!

So why am I writing about expectations and the management of such?

Well when a task is given to a professional person in a professional organization one expects that a professional effort will be given in completing said tasks. Right?

That is an assumption that is best left on the side of the road these days. As a manager one must continually follow-up with ones subordinates - that is a given - but as I make my way through this organization I am met with possibilities that doing things the right way is not always the "right way"

I was floored earlier today after being called in and "told" that I needed to be "reeled in" only because "we cant move that fast" - never mind that the customer wants and needs our product or that we have already pledged to meet his timeline without fail in order to secure the work. The expectations of others (our customers) don't matter; what does matter is the internal expectation that (get this...!) everybody is happy.

It amazing to me that these organizations survive. I had heard it one time previously but again it was said with vigor and zest today; "time lines are merely tools to measure how late we will be in delivering a product to our customer"

I wonder....am I still active on Monster.com?

Brian Hayes

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