Blindspot!
From Issue: 637 [Read full issue]
Clear Expectations
How often have you seen someone get hurt because another person led them on? Our tendency is to want to flatter and please others, and, as a result, we often set unclear or unrealistic expectations.
To please your dad at the moment, you might say, "Sure, Dad, I can help you fix up the car this weekend." But, realistically, you're booked the entire weekend and don't have a second. In the end, you disappoint your dad. You would have been better off being realistic up front.
To develop trust we need to avoid sending vague messages or implying something that is not true or not likely to happen.
Whenever you get into a new job, relationship, or setting, you're better off taking the time to lay all expectations out on the table so that everyone is on the same page. So many withdrawals are made because one party assumes one thing and another party assumes something else.
Build trust through telling it like it is and laying out clear expectations right up front.
Compiled From:
"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" - Sean Covey, pp. 142-143