Other people have expectations about how we will behave.  These might be driven by unconscious bias, cultural beliefs, customs, laws, personal desires, etc.

Meeting or exceeding the expectations of others can be beneficial to you.  Basically, it can create a positive perception which drives how others behave toward you.

Self Awareness

Many of my posts refer to the behavioural skill called self-awareness.  There are many arguments supporting why this is such a critical skill for anyone.

The ability to identify and then pro-actively exceed the expectation of others (if that is what you want to do) is only possible if the expectations are understood.

Understanding what is expected provides a strong knowledge base to decide how you want to proceed.  It may be the case you don’t agree with the expectations and decide to ignore or bypass them.

Knowing what is expected allows you to make the best decision for you.  If exceeding expectations is your goal obviously you need to know where the bar is set.

Planning

Planning usually requires advance awareness and time to do it.  This is not always possible when dealing with others in the moment.  You need to become aware of what is expected and plan what to do about it virtually on the spot.

A difficult task but not impossible and well worth the effort.  Planning on the spot is a skill that can almost always  put you in good stead.

To do this focus, be aware and conscious of everything that is occurring, verbal and non verbal.  Don’t rush your response and ask delaying questions to give you some time, all the while analyzing and planning.