|
Coaching
Experience
Try this exercise: Think of a person that reports to you
and write down exactly what you expect of them. If
you are having a tough time responding, you are not
alone.
Through my experience of coaching both senior
executives and new leaders, I often find that they are
generally clear on what they want to achieve.
However, when asked specifically about what they
want from each of their staff, it's a different story.
Suddenly, they are not so clear. Often, they are also
frustrated with the people they work with but unable to
uncover the real reasons why.
One way to increase your chances of achieving
successful results is by understanding how to manage
expectations.
Expectations
...........expectation.
n. to think likely,
something
anticipated, a reasonable chance;
...........prospect, especially
of success or gain.
Expectation is the thought that a likely, anticipated
outcome can be achieved. But in order to attain
success, the desire for a preferred outcome is not
enough. It must also be clearly communicated to
others.
According to research by McGill University, there are
three steps to successfully defining clear
expectations:
- Clarifying Roles
- Setting Objectives
- Defining Behaviours
More about these steps below.
Clarifying Roles
In the workplace, clarifying roles has several layers.
The roles you expect people to perform must be clear.
It is also vitally important that individuals be aware how
their role impacts someone else within the group.
Furthermore, clear communication within the group is
necessary to ensure that issues are being dealt with.
For example, people need to know who holds the
authority to make decisions that will move an initiative
forward.
Setting Objectives
It is important that people know the importance of an
initiative, why it is important, and the impact on the
organization or customer of not achieving the target.
Some organizations focus on this step to the exclusion
of the other two steps.
To have well-defined objectives, it is necessary to
establish goals that are aligned with the organization's
vision, strategic objectives and business requirements.
You must establish very specific outcomes that define
optimal performance for each one of these goals.
Clear priorities must also be defined to establish where
you would like your employees to focus their attention.
Defining
Behaviour
When your employees are working towards the well-
defined objectives, how do you expect them to
behave? In my experience this is the area where
managers feel the most frustration. They are expecting
people to work closely together, to support each other,
to have a sense of urgency, to have a positive attitude
and strong belief in achieving the goal, and to have a
commitment to quality. However, the reality often falls
short of these expectations.
To clear up any confusion about acceptable behaviour,
think about these three challenges and take steps to
reverse it. One challenge managers often face is that
they are unclear about their own behaviour and how it
impacts others. Secondly, perhaps they have not
defined, or else have poorly defined, the kind of
behaviour that they expect from others. Finally,
perhaps the failure is not in defining but in
communicating defined expectations.
What does it take to be a star and what is just
acceptable performance? The answer to this must be
crystal clear to the team. Setting standards for
behaviours is an essential step in increasing your
chance at success.
See Leadership Development
|
