A common miss when setting expectations

If you're anything like me, you tend to be vague when giving direction. You don't want to seem like a micromanager or insult someone’s intelligence, so you communicate a request or set an expectation at a very high level, trying to maximize their sense of ownership.

While the intention is great, the result is often frustrating. Without a clear definition of success, the chances of them delivering what we want are slim. This sets both parties up for failure.

Setting clear expectations with well-defined measures of success is not micromanagement. In fact, a clearer definition of success is what's needed to avoid micromanagement. When aligned on the desired end result, you can give them much more creative freedom to navigate their path to that result. So…

Leaders: Do your employees have clear goals WITH well-defined measures of success for the year? If not, you have work to do.

Employees: Have you checked with your manager to ensure the two of you are aligned around clear goals AND corresponding measures of success for your role this year? If not, you also have work to do.

  • So quite a while ago we had a babysitter over one night, and I let her know that after the girls finished dinner if they wanted, they could have a small treat for a dessert. And I just left it at that.

    Well, when I asked the girls later what they had for dessert, come to find out they had three Oreos and a piece of candy.

    Now, from the mom perspective that was not a small treat, a small dessert, right? I maybe would've let them have one Oreo, or one small piece of candy, but certainly not three Oreos and a piece of candy.

    It’s your classic situation where in my mind I thought I was clear, and it was certainly not a clear expectation in the babysitter's mind. She thought she was making a great decision.

    As we continue to kick off this year, many of you are probably still in the goal-setting process for employees. And so, my question for you is: Is there a chance that this year you are expecting one Oreo, and in their minds, they have a completely different idea of success? Have you established clear goals with objective measures of success? Or is there still subjectivity at play in terms of what would classify as success?

    If there is needed further clarification, please take action to do so, and work with them on it. It doesn't mean you need to dictate to them the measures of success.

    And if you are not a manager, but you are an employee, then guess what? You can take ownership in this too. If you don't have clear measures of success, you can take a stab at crafting them, and proposing them to your manager to ensure there is crystal clear alignment going into this year.

Bonus Resources

If you're hungry for additional help with employee goal-setting, take a look at the four-part series I shared last January. Watch these short videos to learn and implement four critical best practices that will make a HUGE difference for you and your team this year. 

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Not your typical New Year’s resolution