Don’t Resolve…Recalibrate

An Argument for Revisiting our Expectations

In higher education, nonprofits and healthcare, high performance is often rewarded…with more responsibility. Many leaders I partner with are managing workloads that have only grown in the wake of department reorgs, shifting budgets and funding streams.

The change can be gradual or sudden. It creates an undeniable burden over time that can raise the expectations we set for ourselves and our teams.

As one leader recently shared:

“I’ve always arrived early and stayed late. Lately, I’ve been logging on after dinner at home. With our loss of staff, there’s just too much to do.”

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: Sustaining our progress and productivity requires thoughtful recalibration of our expectations. Not an automatic doubling down of effort. 

Why? Especially in a season of instability and reorgs?

Recalibrate to Prevent Stalling in Burnout

Reactively leaning into your workload can feel like the only option. If you identify closely with your professional role, simply revisiting expectations can feel like you’re enabling failure.

But expectations are assumptions related to capacity, speed, availability and proficiency. They’re beliefs – rather than metric-driven standards -- that certain outcomes or results will be realized if we perform as “expected.”

• If I skip lunch, I can finish this project.

• By being available 24/7, I can show I’m responsive and indespensible.

• If the team meets late today, we can catch up and be better next week.

When a crisis state has no end date, your default response to double-down is not the best choice. An aroused nervous system demands more energy than a calm state, it compromises creativity and accelerates burnout. 

Recalibrate to Aid Strategy

Revisiting expectations fortifies resilience and pays important dividends.

It enables you to better weigh short-term and future gains so the long-term vision isn’t lost (key quality of resilient leaders). It allows for thoughtful decision-making — only more critical in resource-limited seasons.

Recalibrating expectations can ensure you and your team are taking steps to sustain wellbeing and health. As one high-profile leader shared in 2020, modeling this can be among the most powerful actions you take as a leader. 

Recalibrate to Innovate

Research suggests that when pressures intensify and the future is muddy, many of us fall back on default approaches or behaviors that once worked.

• “White-knuckling” your way to Friday

• Working harder and giving more

• Being available via email or cell after hours and/or on weekends

But this robs you and your team of energy for creative thinking and strengthening adaptability.

Resilient and adaptable teams are innovative in how they approach new conditions and challenges. Almost 4x as innovative compared to less resilient teams.

Teams that are adaptable and innovative today are in a stronger position to navigate and succeed tomorrow. The pace of change isn’t slowing. It’s only growing.

Revisiting Expectations Doesn’t Compromise Quality 

Adjusting expectations need not mean a softening in quality. In fact, revisiting our expectations can enable excellence. It makes space for work efforts that meet standards.

Because expectations are internal assumptions (rather than agreed upon standards), they can be overly optimistic and divorced from other factors that have real impact (i.e. team size, hours in the day, your health and energy). 

Sure, working late you may finish the article or report, but at what cost? Quality can suffer. Illness can follow. Mistakes are more often made when we’re tired and stressed.

And if your organization is one that demands high performance at a grueling pace, consider this alongside your expectations to get a more complete picture — and whether the return is worth what you’re contributing. 

Revisit your expectations and recalibrate for greater resilience, innovation and energy to meet the milestones that matter MOST.

In a few weeks we’ll explore how.