EXPECTATIONS V AGREEMENTS – WHAT DO WE EXPECT? I have recently been re-reading a great book for coaches who look for clients (don’t we all!), The Prosperous Coach by Steve Chandler and Rich Litvin. It’s filled with gems and it’s different from a lot of marketing books and courses for coaches – because their way works. Hidden in the Q&A’s in the appendices was yet another golden gem: a reference to Steve’s distinction between expectations and agreements We have all had clients who have cancelled at the last minute. In my 22+ years of coaching, I have had several. I currently have one that may qualify for the Guinness Book of Records. Some coaches tell me they have even had clients not pitching. I have always covered these things in my initial session with a new client, or so I thought, for it seems as if I may have overlooked this of late. But it’s reasonable expectation, isn’t it? I mean, it’s just common courtesy to give reasonable notice if we need to reschedule – and I really do accept that sometimes late cancellations are unavoidable. But several over say a six-month period! Surely that smacks of a lack of commitment! Or a lack of internal communication by the organisation as to the importance of the coaching programme for the individual and the organisation! A reasonable expectation, isn’t it?
Or is it? As I type this, I am remembering just how often I have coached the opposite. I remember how I have relied on, no, explicitly believed in, Stephen Covey’s advice that if we don’t clarify our expectations to the other person, the other person cannot (i.e. is incapable) of dishonouring our expectations. That’s right, if I don’t clarify my expectations, who am I to expect the other person is able to live up to it. And that’s what Steve Chandler is on about: his view is that we cannot rely on our expectations – we need to agree (i.e. clarify and be on the same page) on what we expect.
Simple, isn’t it. Surely, I should have remembered that! Or is that an expectation too far?
I hope that this distinction is a welcome reminder to you and to your clients.

Comments