March Madness: A lesson in expectation setting

Covid is still present in our lives. Late last week, though, I noticed a few small glimmers of hope. My parents-in-law and mother are in line to get their second vaccine shot, I felt the warmth of the sun on the back of my neck when I went out for a short walk, and the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament was getting ready to kick-off. 

Yes, hope is a wonderful thing.

I’m not a huge college basketball fan, but I still like to follow the Men’s and Women’s tournaments and enjoy a good Cinderella story.

Bad planning

When I finished up my work day on Friday, I ran to our living room to turn on the tournament and start my weekend. However, when I walked into the room, I tripped on two buckets of paint sitting on the floor.  Now I’m a smart enough guy, I like to think that I’ve got a good head on my shoulder, but at that moment, I finally started putting two and two together. “No, not this weekend?”

My wife and I have been on a Do it Yourself Mission lately. We could have paid someone to do the work, but we viewed it as a chance to spend quality time together and increase the value of our home. We had already painted three other rooms and we had one more to go, but surely with the nice Spring weather and the NCAA tournament kicking off, she would change her mind, right?

I should probably explain that my wife was gung-ho about painting, because I had been pushing to complete the project. I knew deep down that we were planning to paint, but when I saw the weather and the games on TV, I completely forgot. To further complicate matters, I didn’t communicate my thoughts. I just assumed that since others things were now a priority for me, she would magically read my mind.

Back to reality

When my wife got home from running an errand and I suggested that we might want to put off painting to another weekend, she looked at me like I had lost my mind. We faced a classic problem that all good relationships – whether at work or home – will eventually have to face: what we expect versus the reality of the situation.

When I saw the start of the NCAA Tournament, I assumed I would spend the the weekend propped up on the couch catching up on some rest and zoning-out watching college basketball. In reality, I needed to tackle a chore that was on both of our "To Do" lists. I couldn't help but reflect on all the leadership best practices that I had broken: poor communications, failed organizational skills, inadequate follow-up, etc., etc.

Yes, I ended up doing the right thing, I put the craziness of the NCAA’s March Madness aside for a newer take on March Madness. We spent the weekend moving furniture, taping and painting, and finally restoring the room. I woke Monday to a sore back, but I can’t complain. I still managed to catch many of the exciting finishes over the weekend. 

In addition, my wife and I, working as a team, got done much sooner than I ever expected and our bedroom looks awesome. I’m writing this, looking around the room, amazed at what a little change in color and communications can make in a relationship. 

Yes, bring on the March Madness!