Control Expectations, Communication and Boundaries and Watch Your Business Flourish

I am a flawed person. I know my flaws are many but my biggest flaw of all is that I care too much coupled with the fact that I try to help those that fight to be helped. Add to that the problem that I don’t charge nearly what I should (okay, need to) for the services I provide.

I remember during one of the election cycles, a candidate said that what he was trying to accomplish was like dancing with a pig. If you remember, doing so only makes the pig mad and gets you all muddy. Neither result is a good outcome.

My good friend and confidant Matt Maudlin showed me a simple little graph which hit home like a baseball bat to the temple…(Matt does that to me often).  When I (or you) care and do more for the client than the client compensates for… we (all) begin to resent and distance ourselves from the client. On the other hand when the client pays (in their mind) more than they feel is value… they, unfortunately, do the same.

It doesn’t even have to be paid compensation. I believe it’s the reason we see volunteers slow down or stop contributing all together. It’s true, too, for employees that don’t feel they are being listened to, understood or recognized. Understand, I am not saying we need to baby any of the above. It’s the simple things that count! Here’s the list of the Q12 by the Gallup Organization…

  • I know what is expected of me at work.
  • I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.
  •  At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
  • In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
  • My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
  • There is someone at work who encourages my development.
  • At work, my opinions seem to count.
  • The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.
  • My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.
  • I have a best friend at work.
  • In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
  • This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

It all boils down to a couple of “tions” Expectations and Communication controlled by boundaries.

Work on these three things, Boundaries, Expectations and Communication, and if you keep in mind the old, but never more true statement, “An ounce of framing is better than a pound of re-framing” in your dealings in business and life, things will be much, much better for you. These are a few of the skills we work on in most every coaching situation I facilitate.

A special thanks to my good friend and general manager, Elaine Whitesides for the inspiration to write this one.. now let’s go kick some butt!

If you want better sales and communication skills on your team, we need to talk!

To your success!

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