Expectations: (To look forward to or anticipate) A vision or perception of what is going to occur or what is going to be received. The expectant live on both sides. What we expect and what others expect of us.
Question: Do we ever suspect we have a dual standard, i.e. what we expect of others and what others expect of us? How difficult will it be to equalize? Romans 2:1
Here are some of our basic expectations: What do we expect versus what do we deliver. When I am a customer, I want and deserve . . . . . .
1. To be taken seriously and with respect.
2. For the service to be competent, efficient and friendly.
3. For the other person to anticipate my needs and inform me of all possibilities.
4. Common courtesy and a friendly attitude.
5. Knowledgeable help.
6. Professional service.
7. Explanation and education of their process or the product.
8. Follow up and to be kept informed.
9. Honesty.
10. Empathy and attention to my needs.
Meeting Expectations:
1. Communication:
a. Expected value is normally above delivered value. A step down in expectations can occur peacefully with communication prior to action.
b. Mostly listening. Don’t jump to conclusions. Let them let you off the hook when you are having trouble delivering and accept the relief.
i. Don’t assume that people know what they want.
ii. Don’t assume that you will know what they want without listening to them.
c. Continued communication pacifies eagerness. Helping them understand the time involved is essential.
d. Tell the truth, not what you think they want to hear. Be sure your sins will find you out.
e. Understand the contradictions in what you say. Typically, people construe contradictions to their favor.
2. Educate those that expect things from you:
a. The more people understand about you, your product or service or the function of your job, the closer their expectation will be to reality.
b. Under promise, over deliver. Matthew 21:28-31
c. Defining satisfaction for those that you work with requires brutal honesty. It also builds credibility as you deliver what you said.
d. Allow yourself to be educated. Don’t take for granted that your idea is the solution for their problem.
3. Attitude: These are affected by our expectations Luke 17:1 Offenses will come, but don’t be an offender. (Make sure they don’t come because of you)
a. Attitude alone can overcome some of the worst problems. It is an inexpensive way to close the gap.
b. More than half of the basic expectations are attitude related.
c. Attitudes are driven by our personal expectations of others and of God.
i. Cynicism is the result of lowering our expectations to the point that we feel no one can hurt us.
ii. Alexander Pope said, “the ninth beatitude is, Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”
d. Trust your instincts but not your fears. Many of us have believed a lie about things and have developed a cynical attitude based on a lie.
Success may very well be measured not by how skilled you are in your profession, but by how well you set and meet the expectations of others.
Communicate, educate and keep the right attitude.
Expectations:
1. Jesus said that people should be able to expect certain things.
a. Figs from a fig tree. Mark 11:13-14
b. That the house of God is to be a safe place of prayer. Matthew 11:17 Religion has been used in such oppressive ways. None of which is Jesus’ fault.
c. That we will receive evil for wickedness and potentially even evil for goodness in this present world. I Peter 2:18-20
d. That most of our days will have troubles of some sort but those were caused by our sin and will drive us closer to God. Luke 17:1, Matthew 5:11-12
e. That Jesus will always be truthful and merciful.
2. Jesus also set an expectation for the world of His people:
a. That we would be those that overcome the world and its evil. Matthew 5:43-48.
i. Its normal or expected to love those that love you, and to be nice to those that are nice to you.
ii. An eye for an eye is common law. To fight fire with fire is common law. To return evil for evil is common law. To turn the other cheek is very uncommon and breaks the enemy inside. Matthew 5:38-41
iii. Romans 12:20-21 is extremely uncommon law but serves to dispel their power over you and to destroy the enemy within.
Compensation: (to make up for) The idea being that I have given you something of value and I will need something in return to even the relationship.
1. Cash: My hours for your dollars. My time for your money. You should understand who you are and your strengths and weaknesses to know which form of cash compensation is right for you.
a. Hourly wage; Typically the entry level.
b. Salary; Fixed regular compensation. Sometimes a salary plus bonus for performance. (PFP – pay for performance) For PFP to work it must be clear, fast and re-producible.
c. Hourly or salary plus tips or commissions. Someone with a real passion for selling or great people skills can earn more in this scenario or even a straight commission situation.
d. Straight commission
2. Benefits: Non cash advantages of employment that provide things that individuals cannot attain or afford.
a. Time off or paid time off. Compensation for time away from family.
b. Health and death benefits. An employer can leverage his ability to provide insurance below the cost to an individual and thereby leverage his labor buying power.
c. Retirement or assisted savings benefits. Employers can provide things like 401K or deferred compensation plans that benefit them and provide things not otherwise attainable.
d. Miscellaneous perks.
3. Barter: The exchange of services or products without the exchange of money.
a. Product barter; This is not haggling or dickering in which a person negotiates the price down. This is a product swap for another product or for a service.
b. Service barter; Except in casual transactions between individuals, the IRS recognizes that this is compensation or a value transaction.
4. Prestige; This is a low cost, high return recognition of an employees extraordinary service.
a. Recognition creates good will.
b. Leadership training: Prestige within a certain level or position may include holding a senior title such as “senior-technician”, or “senior-foreman”. The position then involves leadership of your peers and could open a multitude of opportunities.
5. Low impact work with security:
a. A job with low stress and little or no profit and loss pressures that demands little but provides security.
6. As an independent contractor;
a. Casual labor;
b. Self employed contractor;
What should I be making: It is a natural tendency to assess our worth based on our wage. In light of the fact that Jesus died for us and paid for our sins with his own blood, we could never measure what we are worth in terms of dollars. Since our employment is always at our own will, it could be that we are battling discontentment with self and not low pay.
1. Wages are an agreement. Matthew 20:1-15
a. It was agreed to in advance of the work and both parties were initially satisfied.
i. Some knew how much they would receive
ii. Others were promised to be treated properly
iii. All groups were in agreement.
b. The problem was not low wages or being cheated. The problem was one of discontentment.
i. Luke 17:1 it is impossible to live life without being offended. Offences will come.
ii. We may not be in the right job but feel trapped because of insurance needs, location or merely the fear of change. The sense of discontentment gets focused on the job when it really lies in external forces.
2. Dissatisfaction comes through envy and covetousness;
a. Matthew 20:10 They felt that their worth was somehow overlooked because others received the same compensation for less work.
b. Even though they received the agreed upon amount, they murmured and complained of their mistreatment.
c. They were envious that the Goodman had made them equal in compensation to those that began early.
d. The Goodman reminded them of the agreement. Matthew 20:13
3. Doing our duty makes us only unprofitable servant Luke 17:7-10
a. This servant is not afforded, nor should he expect anything additional for merely performing his duty. That is a basic and the thing for which the compensation is being made.
b. He does not even deserve any thanks or verbal recognition at all. He has been fully compensated in his wage for what he has done.
c. Profit is the excess of what you get over what it costs you. If I pay you to perform a task for 10 hours and the wage is $20.00/hr. Then after you have done the work and I have paid you, the full compensation has occurred. I don’t even owe you a thanks. Thanks wasn’t part of the deal, just the money. Luke 17:10. Doing only our duty entitles us to no additional compensation.
4. Contentment I Timothy 6:6, Philippians 4:11-12
a. Contentment is gain in itself.
b. Learning contentment is a relief
