Changing the Standard
Changing the Standard turns completion into a moving target.
Changing the Standard is a pressure pattern: the bar keeps shifting so the task can never be finished. It sounds like: "That is a start, but it is not enough anymore." The counter is Broken Record, e.g. "The original agreement was a draft. A full deck needs a new timeline."
The pattern
What to notice first
After you meet the stated standard, the standard changes.
Matched response
See the pattern-to-technique matrix
Use the matrix when you need to compare pressure moves and choose a first response line quickly.
Where it shows up
A scene you might recognize
You deliver the agreed draft. Your boss says, 'Good start. Now make it a full deck by tomorrow.'
Completion is being converted into a new test rather than recognized as the original agreement.
Instance loop
See this pattern in the wild
The hidden move
What the pressure is trying to do
Moving goalposts keep you chasing approval by changing the finish line.
The fix is to name the original standard and treat the new one as a new request.
How to recognize it
How to recognize it
- Watch for 'yes, but now...' after you complete the original request.
What it sounds like
Common lines
That is a start, but it is not enough anymore.
I know I said one section, but the expectation changed.
Good, now prove you can handle the harder version.
In the moment
How to answer without chasing the bait
- Name the original agreement.
- Treat the new standard as a new request.
Watch the edge
Traps to avoid
- Do not keep sprinting after a standard nobody will define.
- Do not accept vague expectations as a contract.
Response language
Response scripts
The original agreement was a draft. A full deck needs a new timeline.
I can discuss the new standard, but it is separate from what we agreed.
Before I continue, I need the acceptance criteria defined.
Rehearse this when...
You spot it too late in real life
Use the simulator when praise quickly turns into more unpaid labor. Practice naming the old bar before negotiating the new one.