In our online, mobile, instant-everything world it’s easy to expect the extraordinary, to look forward to whatever will wow us today. Subsequently it’s not surprising we also might want to instantly drive the extraordinary through our communications and leadership.

The downside is we come to expect an event – a speech, town-hall meeting, webinar or tweet chat , for example – to rapidly make substantive changes in our team or organization. It’s an unrealistic expectation, and it eventually disappoints everyone.

Adjusting our expectations and investing in the everyday is a better approach. Doing so is about recognizing and appreciating how the countless ordinary things we do every day add up to the extraordinary over time. For example, taking a moment to listen to someone’s concerns helps them feel heard and appreciated. Another example is consistently executing your internal-communications plan throughout the year. Over time it informs and engages employees so they come along with the organization, are productive and contribute to goals.

Early in my corporate-communications career I first heard from a wise friend about the importance of the everyday. I understood the idea, but I didn’t deeply learn how it plays out until I transitioned 11 years later to operations management. Responsible for large teams in the business travel and HR industries, I was on the other side of the fence, so to speak.

Instead of driving enterprise communications with the intention of swift results, I was the recipient responsible for cascading the messaging or executing a new program. And instead of writing key messages and coaching executives on delivery, I was the writer and deliverer – and the one accountable for everyone’s reactions.

It was an important shift in experiences. I learned it takes time for understanding to take hold, for worries to subside and for changes to get a firm footing. And while there certainly were some quick, extraordinary and sometimes serendipitous results, I appreciated them as exceptions to the norm.

The new insight influenced my subsequent communications programs to engage teams and help them through large cultural changes or business transformation. Along the way, I learned three things about the importance of the everyday and how it all adds up over time.

Trust and respect is everything. Without it, few things in life work well over the long run. Being available and open to others, listening to their concerns and caring about their well being are essential to earning trust and respect. So is being transparent with information and intentions. When you earn trust and respect, others might not always like where a business needs to go but will hear you out and do their best to support changes. They might even thank you.

Anything worthwhile takes time, effort and commitment. Things that matter do not come instantly or easily. Sometimes it feels like trying to fill a house with sand, one grain at a time. This doesn’t feel good, and you won’t always know whether you’re making a difference. That’s OK. You won’t see the outcome of everything you do. Trust in the process nevertheless.

Take care of the people who take care of others. I learned the importance of this with front-line teams responsible for assisting customers (revenue!) in one setting and co-workers (350,000) in another. How can we expect someone to care for another if they don’t feel someone cares about them? It works. Try it and get others to do the same.

Putting this into practice is a commitment, for sure. But starting today you can appreciate and invest in the ordinary in order to create the extraordinary.