Managing Expectations 101: Delegation, Alignment, and Proactive Communication

Managing expectations is a critical professional skill—whether you’re managing down (delegating effectively) or up/out (aligning with your supervisor or client). The key? Getting everyone on the same page at the outset.

📌 Managing Down = Delegation Done Right. When assigning work, make sure your team knows:

✅ What the deliverable is, e.g. an email, an informal memo, a formal analysis
⏳ When it’s due, like exactly, not "early next week" which could mean Wednesday to some people
🎯 What level of quality/detail is expected, is it ready to give to the client or a partner? Or is it an internal draft to get first thoughts down on paper?

Save yourself the awkward “Oh… this isn’t what I needed” conversation at 9pm on a Friday. And the lost Saturday re-doing the incorrect work product...

📌 Managing Up = Proactive Alignment. This is less about giving orders and more about ensuring you and your supervisor or client are rowing in the same direction. And put a sticky note with the word "proactive" on your monitor. It's essential. And then try:

✔️ Clarifying your understanding of a project before diving in (if you have mastered managing down, you got a 2 for 1—this is the same checklist!)
✔️ Getting explicit about their expectations for timing, communication preferences, stylistic peccadillos (and sharing how you work best!)
✔️ Agreeing on the cadence of updates to manage their anxiety from spiraling. This will (hopefully) prevent them from blowing up your phone at inopportune times. I learned this the hard way with a client who was getting a big payout—it was one of many deals for me but a once in a lifetime $$$ for them.

For practicing attorneys—one of the perks of the law firm structure? Teams shift, which means you can gravitate toward the people whose leadership styles work for you—and minimize exposure to those who don’t. Fill your “dance card” with people you respect as leaders.