Share Your Expectations
There is a conversation your staff wish you’d have with them. (Actually, there are a few, but let’s just take it one at a time!) I’m sure about it because I hear about it from them.
They wish they knew your expectations for success. If you just said “they should already know” or “surely they know” …. Yeah, they wish you’d talk to them about it. Don’t get me wrong: they don’t want you to over-manage them. But they really want to get a view from your perspective about what top-shelf accomplishments look like, based on your experience. And then they want permission – inspiration – to exceed those expectations.
Let's take it step by step.
First, you have ideas about what the departments, programs and offices in your portfolio should be accomplishing. Some of your impressions are specific and some are nuanced. Some are realistic and some are idealized. Still, you do have some notions. Your staff would love to hear you share these impressions with them. By understanding what you as the leader-boss are envisioning they can better prioritize their time and resources. Additionally, they will have greater confidence in themselves.
Many of the leaders I work with are reluctant to be overly directive with their staff, who may find it disempowering to have a leader-boss be too direct about their expectations. Why not take a multi-pronged approach in your conversations?
When the expectation is qualifiable (time sensitive, goal-number based or measured against previous benchmarks), choose to be very direct about the needs of the organization and any previous measures. And invite your team to set new goals that use external guidelines as markers alongside their own market knowledge and understanding. Reminding staff about how their work and timeline is interdependent with another is always useful (ie, “Mark intends to work on his part of this project tomorrow and he needs their report.”)
Conversely, when the expectation is open-ended and you want to share your impressions without quashing your talented staff members’ creativity, make time to have a conversation with them, and lead by asking them what they are hoping will happen, “sky’s the limit” – Or invite them to share what would have happen if they had a magic wand and could make the task/program/concept as successful as they want it to be. If you both share the same ideas, tell them so! If you have something additional in mind, jump on the ideation bandwagon and share your impressions. Be sure to actually say something affirming that you both share an understanding of what success will be in this endeavor.
I once knew a truly terrific leader who had a clear vision for her area. However, a new-to-the-team employee once asked her to “review her expectations” for the employee for the year, and she was confused. Why, she wondered, did I hire this great talented professional if I need to hand-hold them? In fact, the employee was checking in to be sure they were focusing on the right things. I’ve seen this same scenario play out with managers and employees all too often. Frequently, neither party realizes where the miscommunication is taking place and a quick review to stay on the same page does the trick!
People like a little bit of direction with a lot of room to wander. When you share your vision for accomplishments you expect while encouraging your team to exceed them, you give them both direction and room to soar. They want to hear this from you!
