How to Deal With Boss Unrealistic Expectations - The Muse

How to Deal With Boss Unrealistic Expectations - The MuseHow to Deal With Boss Unrealistic Expectations No one wants to disappoint his or her babo. Even if youre not always in agreement with your manager, if you respect him and generally want to do good work, you probably want to avoid doing anything thatll make him unhappy with you. But what if this person has such high expectations that you think theres no way you can live up to them? What happens if you departure to feel like his growing expectations are rahmen you up for failure?Its important to note that theres a fine line between a supervisor with high expectations who challenges you to do your best work and a babo with unrealistic expectations. The trick is to know which one youre dealing with before taking action. There are a few ways to spot the differences. A boss with high, but manageable expectations often has a record of successful employees that have advanced in their careers and moved into leadership roles. A manager w ith unrealistic expectations oftentimes has high turnover rates within his department and doesnt do a good job of preparing his employees for advancement opportunities. Whether your boss expects you to work with total disregard for work-life balance or expects high quality work delivered in an unrealistic timeframe, these pressures can cause a lot of stress and will eventually (or not so eventually) lead you to look for a new job.Once youve determined that your managers expectations are truly unrealistic, you can take action- without putting your job on the line. The key is to train your boss to lower his expectations to a reasonable, sane level. Your goal is to try and actually change your boss bad behavior. Its all about setting boundaries and being confident, firm, and consistent in your approach. 1. Respond to Late Night and Weekend Emails with TimelinesMany managers today expect their employees to be tuned into their work email at all times. If this is the case with your boss, theres probably not much you can do about it. In fact, I recommend always responding to emails outside of work hours if thats an expectation thats been set early on. However, my advice is that you dont respond with actual answers or completed work- unless youve been given an unmistakable, urgent deadline. Instead, give a reasonable timeline for which youll complete the assignment lay out a clear plan to avoid any subsequent confusion or further emailing. Try thisI reviewed your email and the assignment details. I will be able to have X deliverable completed and sent to you by 2 PM on Monday afternoon. Ill let you know if I have any questions as Im plugging away.Reply like this enough times, and your boss will start to recognize your boundaries. An acknowledgment of the request and a stated timeline provides peace of mind for your manager (you received and read the email) and reduced stress for you (youre available outside work hours to read and answer her emails, but youre not worki ng 24 hours a day). 2. Dont Wait to Be Told What to DoIf you have a boss that routinely waits until Friday afternoon to assign tasks that are due on Monday, take notice of this trend and work to change it. Instead of waiting for your assignment at 2 PM on a Friday, make a point to ask if there is anything you can get wrapped up before the weekend on Thursday afternoon. You might even suggest something to help things along. Heres what you can say,I finished X and Y, and Ive got some time left today to start looking at anything pressing for Monday. Let me know if I can begin working on insert name of potential project.Not only does this approach allow you to clear up your weekend and make it work-free, but it also shows that you are taking the initiative in asking for additional projects instead of surfing the internet while you wait for him to present you with your next task. 3. Team UpWhen your boss gives you a deadline that you know cannot be met during reasonable work hours, inste ad of staying up all night or missing a weekend getaway youve had planned for two months, request to have a colleague team up with you on the project. This allows you to further put boundaries in place and enjoy life outside of work. It can also have the added benefit of helping you build leadership skills. Suggest pairing up with a newer colleague or even an intern who is eager to prove herself. If you get the green light from your manager, you can delegate tasks and be the point-person throughout the project. The next time you receive an assignment that threatens to take over your Saturday and Sunday, approach your boss with thisThis is a meaty assignment, and Im happy to be heading it up, but if Monday is the hard deadline, I think itd be great to loop in Co-worker Name so we can divide, conquer, and turn in the highest quality work before the end of the workday.Having a can-do attitude and putting in extra hours at work when needed is important and likely to happen from time to time, but when your boss expectations are extreme and detrimental to either the quality of the work or your personal well-being, its necessary to speak up and modify whats expected so that you can thrive and make your manager happy. Never underestimate going the extra mile to prove yourself, but also be confident in your ability to draw clear lines between work and personal life. Photo of employee and boss courtesy of Shutterstock