Expectations have a powerful impact on our emotions, behaviors, and most importantly, in our performances. Have you noticed what happens when you expect no raise or promotion at work? Most likely you will not get them! The bitter truth is that - not only will you lose a promotion - but most likely you will not perform to your fullest potential, either. Expectations have a direct link to our behavior and outcome. One of most common reasons for low employee morale and performance is poor communication of work expectations. Why is this so difficult and what are we doing about it?

Many of these expectations are not written anywhere. That, in and of itself, can cause some trouble. If you are head of a department and you hire a new director, you expect new director to do X, Y, and Z. You do not bother with providing a written list of expectations because you assume he or she would know these things. Surprise, surprise… some things that are obvious and normal for you might be considered silly and unnecessary for your new hire.

The answer is simple. It is about communicating clearly, addressing people, and not allowing assumptions to overrun our lives. But as I mentioned, this is often easier said than done.

There are several things that can be done to alleviate this obstacle. Implementing tips below can help open lines of communication so that expectations are not only known, but also acted upon successfully.

1.Be aware of them. Obviously, we have to be aware of our own expectations before we try to communicate them to anyone else. Be honest with yourself. If you expect a promotion after you close a million dollar deal then you need to name what you expect. In this first step, you should claim what you want, whatever it might be, and should be honest with yourself and those around you.

Sometimes these conflicts are completely and totally obvious. In our company we are all forbidden to accept any gifts from any vendor. In fact, this policy is brutally enforced by suspension and possible termination. Why? Well, let's say a buyer has to purchase a million dollars worth of product and he receives "gifts" from various competing vendors. Is he making decisions that are in best interest of company or is he simply repaying that "special" vendor who gave him a trip to Hawaii?

There are many ways that conflicts of interest appear. Sometimes they are hobbies, sometimes gifts from people, sometimes simply having an agenda other than that of company.

I've found that a person with a hobby is a person with what is potentially a fascinating conflict of interest. For example, when I was just seventeen years old, I managed a liquor store. My boss was a German U-boat commander from World War II, and he loved German wine. We had German wines all over place. The stuff never sold, not a single bottle, but regardless we had bottles everywhere. I distinctly remember having to dust them constantly. I used to wonder why we carried these dogs, but no longer. The boss had a hobby. He liked German wines, and in spite of fact that each bottle on shelf was wasted money (and a lot of it, these bottles were not cheap) he continued to purchase them. This part of business was actually his hobby.