Be Clear On Your Expectations or Plan To Be Disappointed

Are you having trouble getting your team to meet your expectations when it comes to completing projects and day-to-day deliverables? If so, you could be the problem.

Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to verbalize our expectations for projects, deliverables and day-to-day activities. Especially when we are very comfortable working with our team and “just know” they are going to get something done when we expect it to be. But that’s not the best way to lead and for critical deliverables, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Here’s an example.

Mike, the leader, needs feedback from his team on the operations plan for the year so he pops off an email with the file attached and includes the message, “Please take a look at the attached document and provide your feedback.”

He waits two days and hears nothing from his team. Annoyed, he zips off another email that says, “I haven’t heard from any of you on this yet. I was expecting your feedback by close of business yesterday.” Needless to say, all the team members scramble to get it done.

He could have circumvented the entire issue by simply stating in his original email that he needed the team members’ feedback by close of business the next day. That way each of them could juggle their priorities and get him the feedback he requested.

It’s not hard to share your expectations. You just need to be specific.  A request with no due date (yes, even from the boss!) will get shoved down on the to do list.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Good Team Communication Is More Than Sending An Email

Not enough communication is one of the biggest complaints of most people in just about any organization. We’re all so busy these days staying focused on getting the work done that it’s often tough to remember we work with real live people who need communication on a regular basis.

As a leader, communication should be the number one item on your list. You cannot lead a team or grow a successful company without it. And I’m not talking about just sending an email. Sending an email is not communicating. It’s broadcasting your message to a group of people.

Communicating is sending out your message and confirming that it was heard. Sadly, it doesn’t happen much these days. Google had it right when they defined a key manager behavior as communicating and being a good listener.

We mostly use our techno tools to spew messages out at the speed of light — a few text messages here, a bunch of emails there, a powerpoint or two — and voila! we quickly rub our hands together and say, “Whew! This communication stuff is tough.”

What in the world did we do before we had technology?

We met face-to-face. And that’s exactly what you should do. At least once a month, sit down with your team and talk. Supplement that communication with emails, texts and powerpoints. But never replace it. Try it to see how well it works. It will gain you more leverage and respect with your team over the long term. it will make you a better leader too.

What do you think? Do you have face-to-face meetings or are you and your team satisfied using technology for all communication? Please leave a comment.

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