Too often when I sit down and listen to my clients, who are CEOs, senior executives, business owners, and others in leadership positions, I get the feeling they are leading through mental telepathy. Rather than set and communicate clear expectations—how success will be defined—they assume their direct reports and employees know what to do and how to do it. Thinking that your people understand exactly what you say, and what you want, is a myth. What results is hesitation, indecision, uncertainty, and failed outcomes. Healthy teamwork, initiative and productivity go out the window.
Properly setting expectations for employees or team members is a critical dimension in quality workplaces, according to a huge study undertaken by The Gallup Organization.
YOU NEED TO STOP ASSUMING. Follow these guidelines and you will see your team deliver more consistent high level performance.
- Start with a vision of what you want the end result to look like. Not just what you want done, but the outcomes you want to achieve, and when you want the project completed.
- Discuss how YOU define “excellent performance.” Paint a complete picture. In many instances, what you say, and what people hear are two very different things.
- THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT CHANGE YOU CAN MAKE is to have them explain to you, in their own words, the goal…specifically how they plan on accomplishing it, and when it will be completed. If what you hear does not make sense to you, it’s time to re-explain the goal and objective…before they leave the meeting or your office. Do this step consistently, and you will be amazed at how much better they perform.
- Follow up by putting the expectations in writing. This way there is no misunderstanding down the road as to what YOU expected, how YOU will define success, and when YOU expect completion.
- Give them feedback—and often! This is one of the major failures of business leaders. The annual performance review is too late to let staff members know if they are not meeting your expectations. Schedule informal review time with your direct reports at least once a month. Think of yourself as a coach.
- During the feedback meeting, ask your direct reports how they think they are doing. You want to make sure you’re both on the same page. There’s nothing worse than having a direct report who thinks they are doing a great job, and you think they are performing at a sub-standard level.
Follow these steps and you will see performance improve.
As always, have a great week.