Chapter 26

Negotiate budget and targets

Success is often defined by the results you achieve. Logically, this means that you should strive for the best results possible. But there is another way of defining success:

Success = Results minus Expectations

In practice, this is the formula against which you will be judged. This is the world of MBO (management by objectives) and KPIs (key performance indicators). These are grand and formal ways of talking about expectations. This means that you have to work on two items: delivering results and setting expectations.

Nearly all of the training and support you receive will be about achieving results. The other half of the equation, setting expectations, is more or less ignored. But it is vital to ...

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