Everyone chases their desired response!

November will soon melt into December, the last month of 2022. Christmas carnivals, fairs and parties have started with full vigor after two full years of restrictions. There is cheer and optimism in the air. Hopes abound, ambitions to raise the bar are taking centre stage. For organisations that have a January to December year this year is being reviewed. Next year will have more expansion, new products and services. Higher targets and the aspirations to become a best in class leader. “We will do this, and that will happen”. ” Consumers will respond positively and ours will be the preferred product”. One hears of such murmurs down the corporate corridors during such times.

On the other hand, individuals bubble away as the end of a year is on the Anvil. Have new year resolutions of 2022 been realised? What about wellness and fitness goals? Have I lost weight at all? How is my work life balance? Do I spend enough time with my son?

Questions galore. And often goal resets.

The human mindset is wired to be set to a roadmap to achieve goals. Both personal and professional. Months, quarters and years are milestones in our journey to ascertain if we are headed in the right direction or even reset our direction as we live in a rapidly changing world today.

What is desired response?

Let’s start understanding this simple term in a very practical manner. It’s a manifestation of human expectations to get the reaction they want. Let’s say, boy loves girl and wants a commitment to have a relationship. He confesses his love for her. If she responds positively and confesses her love for him too, the boy achieves his desired response.

As simple as it seems this is the same theory which applies throughout our life in every aspect.

Let’s take the communications business which deals with the most difficult subject, which is changing human behavior. Let’s say there is an assignment to launch a new service for a client. Creating a communications plan, curating messages, timelining them and then rolling it out effectively is the usual process. After all communication in any form is sending out key messages to the target audience. But the true test lies in the reaction. There are measurement tools available to measure impact, but what in reality the communications team are trying to achieve are their communication objectives. The desired response to their initiatives.

Desired response is really what we chase all our lives  personally and professionally!

How do we manage our expectations of desired response?

When we are unable to elicit our desired response personally or professionally there are consequences. Personally, it affects our state of happiness. Repeated cycles lead to loss of confidence and even affects today’s most valuable asset, our mental health.

While failure is part of life, inability to manifest and materialise desired responses professionally impacts your performance, team performance and business.

The key pivot here is creating and managing expectations.

Personally, are you perpetually aiming for the sky and landing on tree tops? Of course there are intangible influences in life which include luck or destiny. But if things form a pattern of not working out, you need to retrospect in depth

Is our desired response real?

Professionally, there could be something wrong with our basic premise, research and planning. Are our assumptions and postulates correct? Are we wrong somewhere in our strategy construction? Have things changed? A deep rethink sets the path correct. Or one needs to get back to the drawing board. You also need to re haul your talent pool. Are there the right resources where they should be?

Personally, something you are doing is wrong. So, reinvent. Clearly understand what you want and review your own abilities. Do your own SWOT exercise, work on your strengths.

Besides, is your desired response based on exaggerated expectations?

“Life…it tends to respond to our outlook to shape itself to meet our expectations” Richard M. Devos

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Amitesh Banerjee

Amitesh is a seasoned positive integrated communications disruptor with several years of multi- country/multi- domain experience. He has worked for reputed organisations in senior leadership positions including JWT, ITC, New Zealand Dairy Board, Seychelles Marketing Board, Perfect Relations, Genesis BCW, Adfactors, Della Group, H+K Strategies among others. Amitesh is Senior Vice President of Beanstalk Asia- a leading Integrated Marketing Communications firm.