"It's not enough to do our best. We first have to know what to do; then we can do our best" - W. Edwards Deming. If you want me to do something, one thing must occur - I need to know what you want me to do. Top performing employees understand what's expected of them & effective managers are good at delivering that information. Clear expectations inspire employees.
It's easy for managers to assume that just 'telling' employees what to do is sufficient. But when I'm out of the country & can't speak the native language, it doesn't help for me to speak slower & louder. I have to speak so that I am understood.
A high priority for any manager should be providing his team with multiple opportunities to hear & understand the direction. Managers are responsible for:
- communicating their team's purpose; employees want & are motivated by purpose - the reason their team exists; understanding purpose & importance precedes employee motivation
- creating a 'line of sight' for their teams through goals & metrics; bridging the gap between jobs & the organization's strategic priorities
- causing employees to understand how what they do individually fits with what their teammates are doing & how those responsibilities need to change with changes in the work situation
- insuring that each direct report knows personally what is expected of him/her
Great managers feel a sense of responsibility for the performance of each of their direct reports & thus feel accountable for clarifying their expectations. Communication is a must have resource for all employees. Managers who receive the most from employees give them the most. Interpersonal competence is necessary to be an effective manager - regardless of his/her degree of technical competence.
GE, Campbell Soup, Virgin Airlines, Ritz-Carlton, Pfizer, Chick-fil-A, Baptist Hospital System, Caterpillar, Nestle, Stryker, 3M, Harrah's etc. have robust, ongoing initiatives to enhance employee engagement because they have found that employee engagement significantly:
- increases productivity & profitability
- reduces absenteeism, turnover & even accidents
Gallup identified the six employee engagement needs most strongly correlated with improved business performance; one of which is proactively causing employees to know 'what is expected of them.' If only 30% of U.S. employees are engaged, 70% of our managers have opportunities to improve their engagement coaching skills & maximize the contribution of their direct reports.
Some managers follow the Clear Agreement Model & communicate the:
- description of the task
- desired outcome/deliverable
- action that will probably be required
- due date
- stakes or degree of importance of the task
Other ways a manager can clarify his/her expectations include:
- Explaining the company & departmental objectives - with regular updates
- Conducting daily stand up or pre-shift meetings
- Establishing performance objectives with metrics for individual & team performance
- Creating standards of performance that spell out the preferred method of performing a job
- Conducting frequent one-on-one coaching
- Communicating any new expectations - even those a manager may think are implied
Misunderstanding managers' expectations needs to be 'taken off the table.'
