I saw some jellied cranberry sauce in the cupboard yesterday. We had turkey and cheese in the fridge and my favorite type of bread on the counter. “Yes!” I thought, “today is the day of the Thanksgiving sandwich.”
The bread was toasting, the cheese was cut, the turkey was on the counter. Next step, open the sauce! (my mouth was watering). There were three cans of sauce. The first had an expiration date of May 2013, the second had an expiration date of 2010 (to put it in perspective, the year is 2017) and the third? Well, let’s just say it was so old that when I lifted it from the cabinet liquid oozed out of the bottom of the can.
I talked myself into opening the 2013 can (isn’t canned food suppose to be good forever?) I tasted it, it was fine. I put it on my sandwich (don’t tell my husband he’d be disgusted) and took a bite. Not bad.
I ate the sandwich.
I didn’t get sick.
I didn’t enjoy it, but it served its purpose, it filled me up.
When I set out on my sandwich making adventure, I couldn’t wait to get that cranberry sauce on my sandwich! When I saw the expiration dates, I was less than excited and not at all optimistic about the way my sandwich would taste. The expiration date managed my expectations. It gave me a heads up that the taste would not be great and it was up to me to continue.
How well do we manage our alums’ expectations when they attend our events? Do we promise them it will be the best networking event ever? That the food will be out of this world? That they can’t get this type of access anywhere else?
What about when they reach out to us with questions, do we understand the root of their question, do we put ourselves in their shoes to understand what is driving them emotionally? Are we treating them like the most important person in the world? If not, why?
Each day is different, some sunny and bright, some cold and rainy, we understand that about the weather. Institutions don’t waver, they aren’t happy go lucky one day and miserable the next, they are consistent. But, institutions are made up of people like you and me who have good days and bad days, who are up and down. How do you manage that on your team? How do you ensure that your agents are showing up in the same way, every day, to serve your alumni?
