One of the biggest challenges that we deal with is what happens when we inevitably fall short of expectations. The reality is it's going to happen. It happens to everybody now and again. 

It could be expectations set by others for us, or expectations we set for ourselves. Either way, when we fall short of those expectations, that tends to carry a lot of emotional weight. And it's that emotional weight, and the stuff that unfolds from that, that can cause a whole lot of problems for all of us, and for Nonprofit leaders in particular.

It’s usually a combination of external factors and some internal factors that cause us to fall short of an expectation, regardless of whom it was set by. But instead of simply assessing the causes, fixing the problem, and moving on, we often get caught up in judgment about it all. And we beat ourselves up and get tangled up in what all of it means about us. 

I bet I don't have to tell you, that only makes the problem worse.

It's inevitable that we will fall short of expectations from time to time. But how we respond to that makes a huge difference in our effectiveness, in our success, and I would argue in our wellbeing.

In this episode, we share:

• How fear of judgement actually makes it harder to fix things when we fall short of expectations
• The essential mental frame that will keep you out of self-judgement and self-recrimination 
• What to do first if you find yourself unable to meet an expectation
• Four keys to defanging the experience of falling short 
• How to set teams up for success even when one or more members fall short
• The superpower good leaders use to avoid the traps that cause most shortfalls

Help spread the word! If you found value in this episode, I’d be grateful if you would leave a review on iTunes or wherever you listen. Your reviews help other nonprofit leaders find the podcast.  Thanks!!