Page 117 - my SUCCESS! my CHOICE

Deepak Gupta my SUCCESS! my CHOICE
- 116 -

Betsy and his relationship suddenly flashed through Dan’s mind that, he was sure, had

almost reached ‘Apathy’. ‘Thanks to you Ron, I was able to rescue our relationship. This is fantastic

learning. I must understand it better.’ He thought.

“How do you think we can ensure that wishes do not drift towards demand Dan?” Asked

Ron, now is complete command.

“It will be same as in conflict management, we need to engage our partner to identify the

need behind the wish and look for commonality.” Dan replied.

“Yes Dan, while the basics are the same, there is some difference in Expectations

Management. There are three steps -- First, define and align the needs of your relationship,

jointly and transparently. Second, convert these expectations into a set of principles that guide

the behaviors and actions of both partners. Third, strictly follow these aligned principles.”

“Otherwise, the relationship, however old and strong, will always remain susceptible to the

risks of misunderstanding and misinterpretation.

“This is a fantastic concept Ron. Enormously powerful and extremely easy to understand.

It clearly explains how relations can be strengthened by proper management of expectations.

I am wondering, however, are there any relationships without expectations?”

“Great question but you got me again Dan. I will have to think this through.” Ron paused,

deep in thought. He started hesitatingly.

“I believe all relationships come with their own different and unique expectations. The only

relationship without expectations, that I can think of, is true friendship. This is off-the-cuff so