TITLE: First, Be Careful What You Teach People To Expect
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: October 04, 2016  3:40 PM
DESC: 
-----
BODY:
 Last month, Seth Godin posted a short entry about
<A HREF="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2016/09/three-things-to-keep-in-mind-about-your-reputation.html">
   reputation</A>.
 It brought back memories of my first couple of years as
 department head.  I was excited and wanted to do a good
 job, so I took on a lot.  Pretty soon I was in a position
 of having promised more than I could deliver.  Some of
 the shortfall resulted from the heavy load itself; there
 are only so many hours in a week. Some resulted from
 promising things I couldn't deliver, because I didn't
 understand the external constraints I faced.

 When you don't deliver, explanations sound like excuses.

 If I were giving advice to myself at the time I became
 head (already an adult who should have known better...),
 I would tell him to heed Godin's advice and help people
 learn what they can expect from you.  Explicit attention
 to expectations can pay off in seeding reputation but
 also by setting parameters for yourself.  Then live up
 to that standard.

 If you teach people to expect little, perhaps
 unintentionally, they will -- even on the occasions when
 you do better.  And after you get better, if you do, it
 takes a long time to undo the expectations you created
 early on.

 Live the life you've taught people to expect from you
 -- but first be careful what you teach them to expect.
-----