Everyone views the world in different ways.  Some see the glass half full others see it as half empty.  Without creating a clear definition of terms, meeting expectations and negotiating agreements becomes a huge challenge.  This often leads to the development of frustration and can largely impact business and employee relationships.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the request for something “ASAP”.  Everyone prioritizes things differently.  If I have a pile of tasks to complete then to me, “ASAP” is when I have finished the tasks in the queue.   However, to the person making the “ASAP” request, they need it in an hour.  In order to come to an agreement where expectations are met, there needs to be a negotiation.  If the request was phrased in the form of “Can you do complete this by 1:00 on Friday Jan. 3^rd ?” I can easily look at my calendar and say yes I can meet that deadline or no how about noon on Monday instead?  It leads to a clear definition of the  agreement that both parties can agree upon.  This ultimately leads to expectations that can and have been fulfilled.

Another request I hear often is “how much will it cost for a website?”  “Hmm let’s see ... $1000.00.”  Sure you could create something for that.   Have you ever created an estimate or seen one that has a line item “Website:  $xxxxx.xx” .  Then development begins and the client says  “I thought that was included.”  Then you’re stuck.  You end up having to give away something for nothing in order to satisfy a request and make the customer happy.  The importance of a clearly defined scope of work can’t be forgotten, unless you like to do extra (at least in your eyes) to make the other party happy.

Next time you’re in a coffee shop ask for a doughnut, when they ask “what kind?” just say “I want a doughnut.”  Let them pick and see if you’re happy with what you get.  Keep that in mind when you have to make a request or when you receive one.  If you clearly communicate the terms satisfaction is one step closer to reality!