Quotable: Defining expectations down

Wow. Could South Africa set the bar any lower? Mr. Mbeki and his team are even now scrambling to salvage a negotiated political settlement, and on Wednesday South Africa’s deputy foreign minister, Aziz Pahad, told reporters, "We can only say the mediation has failed if we reach a situation where Zimbabwe totally gets engulfed in ...

Wow. Could South Africa set the bar any lower?

Wow. Could South Africa set the bar any lower?

Mr. Mbeki and his team are even now scrambling to salvage a negotiated political settlement, and on Wednesday South Africa’s deputy foreign minister, Aziz Pahad, told reporters, "We can only say the mediation has failed if we reach a situation where Zimbabwe totally gets engulfed in a state of civil war."

Try this expectations-setting strategy on your boss today: "We can only say that my work has failed if the office explodes in a searing ball of white-hot fire."

Tag: Africa

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