Managing Expectations Effectively

Women aren’t weak or slow — we’ve just been carrying too much, for too long. A few months ago, I was coaching a brilliant young woman in her early leadership journey. Sharp, strategic, self-aware — and still, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was “falling behind.” Why? Because her male colleagues seemed to move faster, take more risks, and rise more easily. But here’s what she forgot: She was not only leading at work. She was also managing a household, caring for aging parents, navigating microaggressions, proving her worth in every room, and still being told to “lean in.” This isn’t about excuses. It’s about context. Women aren’t behind because they’re incapable. They’re behind because they’re overburdened — with unpaid labor, emotional caregiving, cultural expectations, and invisible pressures that rarely get acknowledged. So the next time you think a woman is “not ambitious enough,” pause. Look again. She might just be tired of doing it all. Let’s stop measuring potential through a lens that was never built for women in the first place.

“We need to move off SAP ECC, but we can’t justify the cost.” My CEO friend from Harvard Business School told me this last week. And she’s not wrong. Migration quotes often look scary because many SAP projects: ⚠️ Take years with runaway budgets. ⚠️ Have consultants billing endlessly without clear outcomes. ⚠️ Burn out teams testing the same processes on repeat. But why do SAP migrations become so expensive? Here’s the truth: Most SAP migrations fail the moment they’re scoped. 🛑 They scope everything instead of what matters. ➡️ Every custom report, even if no one uses it. ➡️ Every process variant, even if it’s an edge case. ➡️ Every piece of dirty data, without cleaning it first. This isn’t transformation. It’s expensive duplication. A smart SAP migration is different. It’s a business simplification project disguised as a technical upgrade. If you want to control your migration costs, here’s how: ✅ 1️⃣ Migrate only what you need. Your ECC likely has 20 years of custom code, unused reports, and workarounds that no longer serve you. S/4HANA is your chance to reset, not replicate. ✅ 2️⃣ Fix your data before you migrate. Dirty data multiplies your testing cycles and post-go-live headaches. Good data shrinks timelines, reduces consultant hours, and improves user trust. ✅ 3️⃣ Prioritize the 20% that runs 80% of your business. You don’t need to perfect every exception on day one. Get your core revenue-driving processes live, then iterate. ✅ 4️⃣ Pick a partner who says ‘no’. You need a partner who challenges scope bloat, not one who says yes to everything to grow billable hours. 🚩 Here’s what most never calculate: the cost of staying stuck. – The revenue lost because quotes take days, not hours. – The manual reconciliations your team does every month. – The friction your customers feel because your processes can’t keep up. You’re already paying a hidden cost every day you stay on ECC. You just don’t see the invoice. The difference between an expensive SAP migration and a smart one isn’t technology. It’s strategy. If migration costs are holding you back, maybe it’s time to ask: “Are we planning a migration, or are we copying our problems into a new system?” How are you thinking about controlling cost when you move off SAP ECC? #SAP #S4HANA #SAPMigration #DigitalTransformation #Leadership #CIO #CEO #EnterpriseIT #CloudERP #BusinessTransformation #SAPCommunity #ASARDigital #ERP

🚨 “𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿…” That’s what a client once told me. At first, the decision made sense. 💰 Lower cost. 🗓️ Shorter timelines. 🧩 Less disruption. But three months in… reality hit. They were buried in: ❌ Legacy custom code they didn’t understand ❌ Outdated processes holding back innovation ❌ Frustrated users who expected change but got the same old system in a new shell They had a new S/4HANA label - but nothing really changed. No smarter workflows. No process reimagination. No real value. And worst of all? They couldn’t explain to their leadership why they invested so much for so little transformation. That’s when it hit me: Clients don’t always “choose” Greenfield, Brownfield, or Bluefield. They default to it based on budget approvals and go-live deadlines. But they miss the dots they truly need to connect: 🔗 What’s broken in your current system? 🔗 What future do you want to build? 🔗 How much change can your people actually handle? Without those answers… Even the “𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀𝘁” 𝗼𝗿 “𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘀𝘁” option becomes the costliest mistake. I stopped selling solutions. I started asking better questions: 👉 “Are you looking for innovation or just technical compliance?” 👉 “Do you want a new system or a new way of working?” 👉“What pain are you trying to remove and is your path really solving that?” And to make it easier, I built a one-pager that works in every workshop: 🏠 #Greenfield = Demolish and rebuild. Total reinvention. 🏠 #Brownfield = Renovate. Quick, but risky if you carry over junk. 🏠 #Bluefield = Selective remodel. Smart balance between change and control. SAP transformations aren’t about Green, Brown, or Blue. They’re about clarity. Clarity about what’s broken. Clarity about what success looks like. Clarity about how far you're willing to go to get there. Let’s stop being order-takers. Let’s be dot-connectors. Before recommending a path, dig deeper. Ask better questions. Paint the future not just the timeline. And if you need a conversation starter 📎 Use my Greenfield vs Brownfield vs Bluefield Cheat Sheet. It’s simple. Visual. Impactful. 🔁 Share it with clients. 🧠 Reflect before you architect. 🎯 Decide smarter and drive real transformation. 👇 Download. Share. Use. Because in SAP it’s never about the color. 😊 It’s always about the clarity. #SAPCareer #SAPSD #SAPSDTraining #SAPConsultant #CareerInSAP #SAPS4HANA #SAPJobs #SAPMentorship #SAPLife #SAPSuccess

**Avoid Making Promises You Can’t Keep** Making promises you can't keep can seriously damage your credibility as a leader. Not only does it undermine trust, but it also sets unrealistic expectations for your team or followers. Here's why it's crucial to avoid this mistake: 1. **Trust is Everything:** Trust is the foundation of any successful relationship, including those in leadership. When you make promises you can't fulfill, you erode that trust, making it harder for your team to believe in you in the future. 2. **Damaging Reputation:** Your reputation as a leader is built on your ability to follow through on your commitments. Failing to keep promises can tarnish your reputation both within your organization and in your industry. 3. **Impact on Morale:** Unfulfilled promises can lead to disillusionment and demotivation among your team members. They may become disengaged or resentful, impacting overall morale and productivity. 4. **Lost Opportunities:** Broken promises can result in missed opportunities. Whether it's a missed deadline, a lost business deal, or a failed project, the consequences of not keeping your word can be significant. 5. **Setting Realistic Expectations:** As a leader, it's important to set realistic expectations for your team. Making promises that you can't keep sets unrealistic expectations and can ultimately lead to disappointment and frustration. To avoid this mistake: - **Be Honest and Transparent:** If you're unsure about your ability to deliver on a promise, it's better to be upfront about it rather than making false commitments. - **Underpromise and Overdeliver:** Instead of making grand promises, aim to exceed expectations by delivering more than what was initially expected. - **Prioritize Communication:** Keep your team informed about any changes or challenges that may affect your ability to fulfill your promises. Open and honest communication can help maintain trust and credibility. Remember, as a leader, your words carry weight, so choose them wisely and always strive to follow through on your commitments. #Leadership #Trust #Communication #Transparency #TeamManagement #AvoidingMistakes

I once got feedback that I was “intimidating.” I took it to heart. I spent the next few years trying to be as approachable, warm, and agreeable as I could be. I assumed this was a character flaw that I needed to fix. But years later, I realized something: this feedback wasn’t about me. It was about the system - one that judges women more harshly and polices their personalities more than their performance. And the numbers back this up. 👇🏽 🎯 Women are 7x more likely to receive negative personality-based feedback than men. 🎯 56% of women have been called "unlikeable" in reviews (vs. 16% of men). 🎯 Harvard Business Review found that 76% of “aggressive” labels in one company’s reviews were given to women (vs. 24% to men). This Is the Leadership Double Bind: Speak up? You’re “too aggressive.” Stay quiet? You “lack confidence.” Show ambition? You’re “unlikeable.” Ask for a promotion? You’re “too pushy.” And here’s the kicker - it’s worst for high-performing women. This is why women... ↳  Hesitate to showcase ambition. ↳  Are reluctant to ask for opportunities. ↳  Are leaving workplaces faster than others. So, what can we do? Here are 3 ways we can start changing this narrative today: ✅ Check your language. Is the feedback about personality or performance? If you wouldn’t give the same critique to a man, please reconsider. ✅ Challenge vague feedback. “You need to be more confident” isn’t actionable. Women deserve the same clear, growth-oriented feedback as men. ✅ Support women’s ambition. If certain leadership traits (ex. being assertive) are seen as strengths in men, they should be seen as strengths in women too. Have you ever received unfair feedback? What’s one piece of feedback you’ve had to unlearn? 👇🏽 ♻️ Please share to help end unfair feedback. 🔔 Follow Bhavna Toor (She/Her) for more insights on conscious leadership. Source: Textio 'Language Bias in Feedback' Study, 2023 & 2024 #EndUnFairFeedback #IWD2025

𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 (𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥) In a meeting room in a global bank. Emily, who recently returned from maternity leave, speaks with her boss, Mr. Thompson. Emily: "I noticed I wasn't considered for the new project on emerging markets. Is there any particular reason why?" Mr. Thompson: "Well, Emily, I thought with a new baby at home, you’d want to avoid the extra stress. It’s a lot of responsibility, and I figured you’d appreciate having less on your plate right now." Emily: "I appreciate your concern, but I actually feel ready to take on more. Projects like these are exactly what I need to grow in my career. I’d love a chance to discuss how I can still be involved." When we try to create a fair and supportive workplace, sometimes our good intentions don’t always lead to the best outcomes, especially for women. It's called “protective exclusion.” It happens when we think we’re helping someone by keeping them away from tough or stressful tasks, but really, we might be stopping them from growing in their careers. Here are some other ways protective exclusion can happen: 1. Not giving women important roles when they have big life events like getting married or having a baby, thinking these events will distract them 2. Keeping women from tough assignments or trips, thinking they’d rather stay close to home or family. 3. Not offering learning chances to moms who work part-time, thinking they wouldn’t want extra responsibilities. Even though people who do these things mean well, they’re making choices for others based on guesses, not on what the person really wants or can do. This isn’t fair and can make it harder for women to move up in their jobs. What to do? Let THEM decide. Don't decide for them. Have you ever experienced or witnessed protective exclusion in your workplace?

“Michelle, can you take the minutes?” Years ago, I was in a meeting with senior executives when my boss turned to me and asked me to take the minutes. My response? “Why? Just because I’ve got a vagina?” Now, was that the most strategic way to handle it? Probably not. Did it get my point across? Absolutely. This moment highlighted a more significant issue: women being assigned non-promotable tasks that do nothing to advance their careers. Taking minutes, organising meetings, and onboarding new employees are essential tasks, but they become career roadblocks when they are disproportionately assigned to women. Managers, ask yourselves: • Who is being asked to take on these tasks in your team? • Are these responsibilities shared fairly? • Are you unintentionally reinforcing gendered expectations at work? Women, next time this happens, try: • “I’ve taken the minutes the last few times. Let’s rotate this responsibility.” • “This task should be shared fairly. Who hasn’t done it yet?” • “I’d like to contribute to the discussion, not just document it.” #WomenAtWork #CareerAdvice #GenderEquity #LeadToSoar

A customer once told me: 'We're not just buying your product —we're betting on your ability to help us succeed and grow over time.'" That comment challenged me to think differently, and it still does each today. It came up during one of my regular customer check-ins. The kind where we’re not solving fires — but stepping back and asking, “What's working well? What's not? What’s next for you?” And the answer surprised me (but shouldn't have!) They of course had some concerns about today’s pain points. But more importantly, with how fast the world is changing and the level of embedded uncertainty, they were even more thinking 6–12 months ahead: ➡ How will our strategy evolve? ➡ What help do we need today that sets us up for more wins in the future? ➡ What will we need from you then that we’re not even asking for now? It was a wake-up call and a great reminder of that quote from years ago. Our current onboarding (and broader post-sales motion) focused too much on narrow current needs — not on future ones. And in today’s pace of change, that’s not enough. So we shifted: ✅ Start every engagement (for more customer segments) by co-creating a future-state vision ✅ Build our roadmap around where they’re going, not just where they are ✅ Check in on that vision — regularly The impact? Stronger partnerships. Stickier outcomes. More trust. How are you helping your customers grow into the future, not just succeed in the present?

Most leadership advice sounds the same: “Communicate better, empower your team, build trust.” Useful? Sure. But when you’re leading under pressure, those basics don’t solve the real friction. In my executive coaching sessions,I see leaders run into deeper traps, the ones that quietly erode influence, even when you think you’re “doing everything right.” Here are the 7  shifts that I’ve seen actually reset momentum in senior teams: → Audit invisible blockers: It’s rarely about motivation, it’s about hidden friction in process, clarity, or priorities. Diagnose before you prescribe. → Shift from goals to guardrails: Don’t just set outcomes, define what “not acceptable” looks like so your team knows their freedom boundaries. → Model vulnerability loops: Share what you’re learning in real time. It signals safety for your team to take smart risks. → Re-contract expectations: Don’t assume alignment, reset roles, priorities, and success measures every quarter. → Elevate second-line leaders: Your influence is capped unless you actively coach the people your team looks up to. → Anchor change with micro-stories: Instead of long memos, share 90-second stories that reinforce values in action. → Measure energy, not just output: Notice who’s leaning in during critical discussions, who’s disengaged, and why  those signals often predict performance dips before metrics do. I once worked with a COO who simply “re-contracted” expectations with their leadership team mid-quarter. That small move stopped a major project from drifting off course not because people weren’t working, but because alignment had quietly slipped. Of course, context matters, market shifts, resources, and timing all play their part. But when leaders apply these shifts, I’ve consistently seen teams regain momentum, rebuild trust, and re-ignite execution even under pressure. These aren’t theories, they’re practical tools Save this for your next leadership challenge. And tell me, what’s the hardest leadership shift you’ve had to make? #LeadershipUnderPressure #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadWithImpact #TeamAlignment #LeadershipShift

“I missed a major deadline. The client wasn’t happy. The team looked at me differently.” That’s what a young manager confessed to me over coffee. He’d led a key project that flopped — and suddenly, the trust he’d built with his team and boss felt like it evaporated overnight. He said something that stuck with me: “It’s like I went from promising leader to liability… in one mistake.” That’s the scary part about leadership when you’re early in your career. So, what do you do after the fall? Here’s what I told him: 1. Manage expectations like your credibility depends on it (because it does). You already owned the mistake. Good. But now, over-communicate. Set crystal-clear expectations for your next project: ↳ What’s the exact deliverable? ↳ Who are you building it for? ↳ When is each piece due? ↳ How will you keep stakeholders in the loop? Ambiguity is where mistakes breed. Clarity is where trust rebuilds. 2. Under-promise. Over-deliver. Tempted to prove yourself with a moonshot? Don’t. It backfires more often than not. Instead: ↳ Set realistic targets. ↳ Build in buffers. ↳ Deliver slightly more than what was promised. It’s not flashy, but it works. 3. Win small. Win fast. Credibility doesn’t return all at once. You earn it inch by inch. Focus on quick, visible wins that move the project forward and help the team, not just your image. Examples: ↳ Found a process gap? Propose a fix. ↳ Need support? Make a solid business case for additional resources. ↳ Don’t wait till the final deadline — share milestones early. Momentum builds belief. 4. Reassess. Periodically. Finished your comeback project? Great. But rebuilding trust = consistency over time. ↳ Every 2–3 months, ask: ↳ Am I gaining back confidence from stakeholders? ↳ Are my deliverables exceeding expectations? Do I feel like I trust myself again? If the answers aren’t clear — maybe it’s not just you. Some environments don’t allow for second chances. If that’s the case, find one that does. The truth is: Credibility is hard to earn. Harder to regain. But absolutely possible — if you approach it with humility, clarity, and strategy. We’ve all dropped the ball at some point. The question is: What do you do after the bounce? — PS: I write about leadership, trust, and growing through setbacks every week. #leadership #careeradvice #trust #growthmindset #youngprofessionals