Leaders Should Set The Expectations For Their Team

One of the greatest problems leaders face is unclear expectations between them and their team.  A successful leader must make their expectations crystal clear so that their team can understand and “buy in” to their vision.  Communication, re-evaluation, re-setting objectives, and adjusting expectations must be included as the leader and the team continue working together.

By keeping team members abreast of changes in your expectations, you empower them and provide them an opportunity to successfully contribute.  When sharing your expectations, there are four things to consider.

You should be exact and detailed when sharing your expectations with your team.  For them to contribute in your objective achievement, they must be completely informed of all angles.  Make sure you leave nothing to guesswork.  If for some reason, you withhold details of your expectations, your chances of successfully reaching your goals diminish.

You should be prepared to explain the reasoning behind your expectations with your team.  Using “because I’m your leader” as a reason for setting team expectations will NOT work.  You must not only help them SEE your vision, but ACCEPT your expectation as their own.   Involve them in setting the game plan and they become shareholders in your overall picture.

3.      You should be prepared to adjust.  Whatever expectations you have at the start of a project will immediately change once your team gets into action.  Immediately review your objectives and adjust your expectations according to ongoing results.  Review individual performance, even your own, and once you’ve formally adjusted, re-issue expectations to your team.

4.      You should develop a specific result/activity expectation program.  Each activity should conclude with an anticipated result.  For example, a certain number of appointments should result in a specific number of sales.  A specific number of sales should result in a pre-determined quota.  Whatever your industry, fashion a result/activity program to fit.

As a leader, prioritize your team expectations.  With the availability of communication tools, you can share changing expectations with your team and include them in setting priorities.  The level of commitment from your team can vary, but as your results increase, their buy-in will follow.  Your team may not always agree with you, but if the level of trust between you and your team is strong enough, the expectations that you set will be met.   One thing for sure, we may not always get what we want, but we do get what we expect.