Managing Expectations

Singapore Airlines (SQ), I've to say, is the master in class to manage its passengers expectations. You would not really notice this if it's the coach seat you're travelling on, but once you have either a business or first class ticket on hand, it's a different story all together. They actually start pampering you right before you fly and it never fails to amaze me how the steward(ess) manages to remember you by the first name when you're seating in front. They keep their competitors at bay and it's quite a safe bet to say that no other airline comes close in regards to this. Even Emirates, Qatar, Qantas and Cathay, including Thai have not lived up to the expectations after being spoilt by SQ. Let's not even bother with Malaysian Airlines or British Airways for that matter. It's a well played psychological game that SQ has against their competitors; they just set the bar so high that others never fail to just pass underneath it without much issues. And this is solely because of how they manage the expectations of their passengers.

And, managing expectations is exactly what I tried doing with my finance lecturer. I was chatting with him once after class before my mid-term test, while on the way from the lecture hall to the car park. We were just touching base on many issues, and like most other people, he too had the same impression that I'm either not local or just spent too much time abroad. And, he thought that I just graduated like a year or two ago. Damn! I should really be grateful to my natural younger looking me..LOLz. 

Anyways, the one thing that I wanted to make clear was that I'm not from an accounting or finance background, since there are cattle loads of them in my class and that I needed him to get a little more thorough whilst explaining especially when using terms that even those who design space shuttles would not have heard off.

That went on well, well until at least last night. The mid term test results were out while I was wasting my time in KL on a week long business trip. He did email the results out prior to sharing them with the class for verification which I missed. During this time, a course-mate helped check my marks on behalf and this is what led to last nights conversation. My course-mate told me that I got a different mark from what I was emailed. So, I went up to him wanting to verify to or rather what is the actual score that I obtained. Little did I know, there were quite a number of people behind me and when I was talking to him about my marks, he went on like you got 80, you're the second highest in the class and there was one other girl that got a 85, I'm very sure about it. Are you sure you're not from an accounting background? 

Immediately, I heard people bitching about it behind, one went to lament on me wanting to show off my marks, hence asking him if I could just verify. Like WTF people, go get a life. 

If anything, I think there is a mistake in him marking my paper cause I don't think I deserve to pass the paper. Those who are close knows how unprepared I was and how happy were the butterflies in my tummy that day.

In any event, my lecturer now has high expectations from me for his paper. This is so not good for me cause I'm really struggling, not knowing half of the things that is going on in class, coupled with the lack of hours to invest in studying, is just making matters worse. I submitted my term paper yesterday and I've got a case study due this Thursday, I very well know that the bar is set high and a lot of eyes will be upon me. I don't need this kind of stress.

Aaargh! I failed at managing expectations. I should have joined SQ and be part of their workforce to better learn this trait. 

It actually doesn't sound like a very bad idea, I could finally do my Singapore - New York on-board the A346 all business class plane an be pampered and treated like a prince at really discounted rates, if not free. LOLz