The Reality of High Expectations
“The secret to happiness is low expectations.”
No offense to the author of this famous quote, but I respectfully disagree. I think the secret to happiness lies in setting high, yet realistic expectations, and then doing all you can to reach them. There’s nothing quite like that feeling of accomplishment—completing a complex and challenging project that you are especially proud of.
That being said, the reality is that we may end up feeling like a failure if we set the bar too high and are unable to reach it. So how do you find a happy medium? If you don’t set the bar high enough, you’ll never grow past mediocrity. And if you aim for perfection, you’ll only end up disappointed.
The key is in finding balance—having a firm grasp on how to set and measure expectations. And setting yourself up for the best possible outcome.
SETTING THE STAGE
Perfection may be slightly out of reach, but excellence is certainly attainable—if you set the stage appropriately. And the first step is preparation.
In order to meet and exceed your client’s high expectations, you’re going to need to invest time, materials, and tools in properly preparing. This involves a focused approach in starting a project. Think of the prep work as the foundation—everything else you build upon that base will be affected by how strong the foundation is, how meticulous you are in preparing.
For example, we recently worked with a homeowner who was obsessed with flat walls—super flat walls. Of course, NS Builders is known for plastering walls and achieving excellent results. However, the pressure was amped up on this project because we knew how high the expectations were. First, we honestly discussed their expectations and what was most important to them. Second, we outlined how we planned realistically to execute that. Then we focused on preparing.
Plaster is usually troweled using a 12- or 14-inch trowel and it’s all done methodically by hand. But for this project, we went with long format straight edges for the walls and ceilings. It’s slower and takes more effort, but results in a 1/32 of an inch flatness across all planes. We put a level on every wall and the ceiling—it was dead level. And we agonized over the corners—they had to be perfectly square. All of this extra work was in preparation for painting. And the end result was fantastic. The lesson: Don’t skimp on time and expertise in the early stages of the project. Prep work will have a direct impact on your final product.
IT’S NOT A FAILURE IF IT’S NOT PERFECT
And then reality hits you smack in the face—a little scratch here, an area that missed sanding, tiny imperfections that got overlooked. I’m not going to sugarcoat it: It’s a horrible feeling. You think about the manhours, the late nights, the combined efforts of everyone involved and how much they put into the project. But as you look around, it’s these tiny flaws that jump out at you (and the homeowner) instead of noticing all the things that were done right.
This is when you have to remind yourself that you’re not a failure just because it’s not perfect. Remember the human element—imperfect human hands did the work. Imperfection never breeds perfection. So, don’t be too hard on yourself (or your crew). Instead, view it as a learning exercise: What did we do right? Where did we go wrong? How can we improve upon this next time? How did we miss this at final inspection? And how do we make this right in this moment?
Resist the tendency to shift blame on someone or something else and go into defensive mode. Instead, put yourself in the homeowner’s shoes.
THINK LIKE THE HOMEOWNER
Imagine how the homeowner feels: Everything looks great—the details, the finishes, the innovation—except for…
Unfortunately, when surrounded by near-perfection, it’s those little mistakes that glaringly stand out.
So, if you were the homeowner, what would you want to hear? Maybe something like this: “I want to deliver exactly what you were expecting. So, let’s go through the room together and discuss what we can do to make that happen.” When you show that you intend to address and fix any flaws, the homeowner will feel reassured. You’ll regain their trust that you can deliver exceptional craftsmanship.
It’s time to discover what NS Builders can intentionally craft for you! Contact us today to get started on your custom dream home. Together, we can make it happen.
—Nick Schiffer