Abbey Louie

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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.

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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