I loved an article I read by Michael Neill, Genius Catalyst www.geniuscatalyst.com called “All About Expectations.” Michael says that the key to understanding expectations is:
Expectations exceeded bring good feelings; Expectations unrealized bring bad feelings;Expectations met bring nothing but more expectation
It has been my experience that most chorus directors and chorus leaders have “expectations” about what chorus members will do. They “expect” them to work on their music at home, they “expect” them to show up on time, they “expect” them to pay their monthly membership dues etc…
Expectations are stories we believe about how others should behave. The more expectations we have, the more we set ourselves up for disappointment because generally, people rebel against expectation.
Instead of expectations, experiment with simply setting clear standards and creating clear “agreements” with people around their behaviours based on mutual respect.
Experiment: Identify an area of your chorus life in which you would like to improve the quality of the result you are producing. *What expectations do you have of others in this area? *How might these expectations be getting in the way of creating the results you desire? *What is the standard you would like to establish for behaviour in this area? *What structures or systems could be put in place to help assist you in creating that standard? *How could you reach agreement with others to uphold that standard?
Please comment if you have any successes!
Inner Coach of Barbershop www.innercoachofbarbershop.com