Doing What's Expected

At the heart of much frustration in the workplace and in personal relationships are the different interpretations of "doing what's expected".  Acting legally and ethically is generally spelled out clearly in a company handbook.  Beyond that base expectation, execution is quite varied.  Some of us we want to provide the best possible outcome; others do the minimum that will suffice.  

Some examples of differing expectations include:

• Presence - Being physically present is not the same as being fully present
• End of day - To a 40+ year old worker it means by close of business, but to a younger worker it may mean 11:59 p.m.

Only when we accept that we're using our own filter to assess what is expected can we move toward better, more explicit communication of what is actually expected.