5 steps you might want to take to share expectations along with your staff
You're gone and you're running into the new year. The deadlines are just around the corner. You plan and define responsibilities. With everything that happens every day, do you forget to share your expectations with your employees? Are you just assuming your employees understand what you want them to do?
Increase your employees' chances of success
My mom used to say to me, “I'm not a mind reader. You need to communicate with me. You may think I know what you are thinking, but I don't know.” Many leaders often believe that they shared their expectations with employees . However, unless you have taken a moment to formally share your list of expectations, you reduce your employees' chances of success.
The start of the year is the perfect time to discuss expectations about how everyone will work together, especially with you. Unclear expectations can lead to a lack of accountability or action and impair the ability to produce results. Conversely, people meet the expectations placed on them.
Here are five steps you need to take to get your team off to a great start this year:
- Tell the staff what to expect from you and what you consistently strive to deliver. Be as specific as possible and discuss what each expectation looks like.
- Share what you expect from employeesand ask them to deliver consistently too.
- Make a commitment for every project Discuss the critical success factors in advance: outcome, roles and responsibilities, timing, milestone checkpoints, approval process, etc.
- Let your expectations check in when discussing the status of projects. How is the team doing for each expectation?
- Make a commitment to provide feedback to at least one employee each day Reinforce positive behaviors (how he or she meets expectations) and / or eradicate negative behaviors and propose alternatives.
This year you commit to improving your communication with your employees. And always remember, communication is a one-way street. Both you and your employees need to play an active role. Let your reps know they need to ask questions. If you do not have certain information that you need to do an effective job, it is time to find it. Make this one of the expectations on your list.
Have you recently taken the time to share your expectations with your employees? If not, plan to do so this month.
– –David Grossman
