We all want to get something out of each moment of our working lives. We may want a co-worker to finish a task in a certain amount of time. We may want the opportunity to speak on a certain topic, or represent ourselves with respect to an idea or initiative. In almost every situation we’re in there are some expectations to be met. Knowing that fact, it’s important to understand the keys to getting what you want out of each situation.

The first, and most important key to getting what you want involves communication. You must be able to communicate the desired outcomes of a situation or an event prior to that moment taking place. And depending on your position in the situation you will need to take different approaches to make sure that your communication is effective.

Before you communicate expectations to anyone else you must be able to communicate to yourself. That means you must take the time to have a “conversation” with yourself. This step covers the “what” of your expectations. Sit down for a few moments to gather your thoughts. Think about the relevant situation or event. Think about what you want to acheive as a result. Then take that information and record it in as much detail as you need to insure that you can get your message across to someone else. Make sure that your record is one that you can easily refer to down the road, like a saved document on your computer, as opposed to a scrap of paper.

Now that you’ve thought a little bit about your desired ourcomes, you need to make your communications plan. If you’re very familiar with your current situation then the communications plan may only take a moment. The plan address the “whom” and “how” of your expectations. To whom will you communicate your expectations? How will you communicate to them? Two very simple, but very important questions. The answers depend on your position in the situation. If you’re leading a team you might communicate differently than a person who is a subordinate on a larger effort.

Here’s a really important point. Don’t assume that because you’re a subordinate on a task that you don’t have expectations to communicate. You do! Always take the time to develop and communicate expectations up the chain of concern. By doing this you can help to avoid confusion and disappointment when you get feedback later.

Once you’ve worked out the “what”, “whom” and “how” you’ll need to execute and engage in the necessary communication to make the expectations understood. This may occur face-to-face or it may occur via phone or email. My best advice is to try to do this face-to-face as much as possible. You can’t underestimate the importance of seeing a person’s body language when you’re discussing expectations. Be prepared to negotiate and adjust your expectations as the person (or people) you’re dealing with may have different views of the situation. Also be prepared to make a compelling case on the areas that are most important to you.

The execution step may result in altered expectations. That’s fine as long as the new expectations are agreed upon and properly recorded.

Once the situation or event occurs then you’ll need to make sure that results are captured to support a review of whether the recorded expectations were met. It doesn’t matter how you capture these results, but know going into the situation that you’ll need to record some kind of metric to be able to know if your expectations were met or not.

Finally, you should convene after the event and come to agreement on the outcomes. Even if you’re working alone you should take the time to consider whether your expectations were met and then record those findings for future use. By doing so you are creating a powerful record that can be used in performance reviews and business analysis. More importantly, you also have a fair and accurate record of events.

By adopting this process as a whole, you can insure that you get your expected outcomes more of the time, while creating a road map to use in developing and fulfilling expectations in the future.