Here's how you can align expectations with your boss and avoid misunderstandings.

Aligning expectations with a boss and avoiding misunderstandings is crucial for a smooth working relationship and successful project outcomes. Sharing some thought on strategies to achieve this: 1. Clear and Regular Communication- Initial Meetings, Regular Check-Ins 2. Set SMART Goals- Specific,Measurable,Achievable,Relevant,Time-Bound 3. Documentation- Written Agreements and Project Plans and Reports 4. Understand Preferences and Styles- Communication Preferences, Decision-Making Style 5. Proactive Issue Management- Early Identification and Regular Updates 6. Seek and Act on Feedback 7. Set Clear Boundaries and Expectations 8. Transparency and Honesty 9. Develop a Mutual Understanding

Psychogical safety is key for being able to discuss things openly and being authentic and this is often lacking…as well as a basis of trust and being trustworthy.

From personal experience, understanding each other’s expectations is key to a strong, enduring working relationship. Ensure you fully grasp the company’s strategy and how it filters down to your line manager, identifying which goals you directly contribute towards. It’s equally important that your manager understands your work style, career goals, and aspirations. Regular communication is essential to stay aligned and measure success, ensuring you’re on the right path. Frequent check-ins help maintain alignment and prevent misunderstandings.

Open conversations somehow enable free flow of ideas while in a formal conversation often the brain freezes due to nervousness

Over time, one thing I learnt the hard way is to remain open with your manager. Be it positive information or negative information. Sharing your progress will provide a chance for your manager to understand your capabilities and milestones and hence will lead to better recognition and rewards. On similar lines, keeping your boss updated - without any lags - on bottlenecks will help in averting major lapses and minimizing the gravity of the situation.

Effective communication and setting timelines. Also, it’s quite important to note that, from a neuropsychology perspective, people have differing listening skills. For some, this means written memoranda but others absorb and retain verbal input better. A combination of both styles is, therefore, optimal, particularly when dealing with larger teams.

Setting clear, achievable goals with your boss is a cornerstone of effective expectation management. In my experience, aligning these goals with both the company's mission and your personal career aspirations not only fosters mutual accountability but also enhances job satisfaction. For instance, when I collaborated with a client to set quarterly objectives, we broke down each goal into actionable steps with specific timelines and deliverables. This structured approach not only clarified expectations but also facilitated regular progress reviews, ensuring that we stayed on track and adjusted strategies as needed.

Goals are important and need to be aligned with metrics (KPIs) to be achieved and evaluated in non-successful cases. The goals should be objective, with expected deadlines and results. For this, communication has to flow properly.

Always write down your goals. If it’s hard to set them, try working out a course of action, a broad sentence describing where you want to be or what would be the situation in one year and work your way fro that, until you have your goal sentence ready. Always conduct a reality check, see if the goal / measure is viable, and not way beyond your reach. It should challenge you, not frustrate you and your boss.

Beyond management preferences, understanding your boss' communication style allows you to advocate more effectively. Your boss may encourage passionate and open dissent in which case a reserved and indirect response would not instill confidence. On the other hand, your boss may want a longer period of relationship building - a kind of trial cohabitation, accompanied by subtlety and high context in conversational style before more direct communication can take place. Understanding and adjusting your mode of communication can influence the trust needed to ensure your advice is both heard and respected.

Recognizing and adapting to your boss's management style is crucial for fostering a productive working relationship. For instance, in my experience, a CEO who valued autonomy allowed me to spearhead projects with minimal oversight, which boosted my confidence and efficiency. Conversely, a manager who preferred detailed reports required me to refine my documentation skills, ensuring every aspect of the project was meticulously covered. Tailoring your approach not only aligns expectations but also enhances your professional growth by diversifying your skill set.

Bruce Lee was one of the first martial artists to bring the approach and concept of 'connecting the styles' to the mainstream. Bruce took concepts from a variety of martial arts and through the unique self-art / self-style he created, was able to dominate traditional martial art masters and practitioners of the time. There are different styles and approaches and it allows us to realize and recognize that a one size fits all approach is often not the 'best' or 'better' approach.

Check ins are crucial. Tasks go down to the employees and sometimes get lost, don’t come back as results… always write back that you received the task, you will read and get back. Always get back, check in and set the goal and timeline to the task. Always check in and update about your progress (talk to your boss and find the way in an open dialogue to the suitable amount and quality of updates). I know it’s important to me, and young employees tend to “forget that you need check ins”. Good luck!

Setting the frequency of check-ins with your boss should be the starting point. Whether it’s daily or weekly or fortnightly - regular checkins not only help set accountability, they also help in clarifying expectations so that there is no mismatch. Infact I would take this one step ahead by finalising the mode of checkin - whether it is virtual or in person as well as the set the format for the checkin.

Check-ins are an opportunity for you to demonstrate your leadership. One simple way to do this is to come prepared with a status update that indicates your accomplishments and highlights risks and areas where escalation may be needed. No surprise is a good surprise when you’re a leader. Once you walk through your update, ask for input and take accountability if you missed the mark somewhere. Justifying things that didn’t meet expectations shows lack of accountability. It’s always best to acknowledge issues and state what you did to prevent them in the future.

Regular check-ins are not just about alignment; they are strategic touchpoints that can preemptively address risks and pivot strategies in real-time. In my experience, these meetings often reveal hidden bottlenecks and unspoken concerns, allowing for immediate course correction. For instance, during a project rollout, a bi-weekly check-in helped us identify a resource allocation issue early, saving us significant time and costs. This proactive approach underscores your leadership and foresight, building trust with your boss.

A continuous feedback loop with your boss is not just about alignment but also about fostering a culture of mutual respect and growth. From my experience, when both parties actively engage in this loop, it can lead to innovative solutions and a more agile response to challenges. For instance, in a previous consulting project, regular feedback sessions helped us pivot our strategy quickly, resulting in a 20% increase in client satisfaction. This practice can transform the dynamic from hierarchical to collaborative, driving better results.

Creating a continuous feedback loop affords managers real-time insights to help further employee development, especially when pivots need to occur. Be intentional, persistent, and embrace feedback as as a gift!

Et surtout, j'en parle par expérience, n'oubliez pas d'être à l'écoute de vos besoins et de vos limites pour les exprimer. Cela instaurera un vrai dialogue et évitera de vous laisser enfermer dans les injonctions collectifs inconscients tels que "soit fort", "assume", "soit parfait"... De même, Expliquer à votre chef comment son approche managériale affecte votre productivité, permettra d'éviter de vous mettre la pression seul et de vous épuiser physiquement, mentalement et émotionnellement.

Make sure you (or your team) know what metrics/dashboards the management is looking at. While there are always going to be things you can’t show for compliance reasons, it’s another thing to be able to show the team timelines, projections, performance targets and depending on your organization, even the financials. If you know what’s important to your manager, you’ll know by default what is (most likely) the key areas to keep track of. If they can’t show or share any of that information, consider you have an opportunity to help pull out more of their expectations about how they will know how you are doing. If they won’t interact or participate with that, then you’re aiming at a moving target and you’re not really set up for success

During Covid I made a point of reaching out to Senior Leadership, and I found that this often isn't done. Often these individuals are surrounded by 'yes' men & women and nobody is 'checking in' on them. It is important that the leaders are doing well, so when we can check in on them this can help. We can see how we can 'support' them, and a funny thing often happens, they will likely ask how they can 'support' you. Perhaps we shouldn't call it managing upwards, and we should focus on connecting upwards.

Early on, I learned to understand my boss's priorities and pressures, proactively offering solutions that aligned with their needs while meeting my responsibilities. This approach created a partnership dynamic demonstrating that I was invested in both our successes. By taking initiative and showing mutual respect, we built a trusting relationship where expectations were naturally aligned. This not only enhanced our working relationship but also drove our shared objectives forward.

If one or two people are the only people that talk at the meeting, perhaps we need to question whether we needed 5 or more individuals at the meeting. Personally I believe 7 individuals is the maximum size we should have at a meeting. I was once a part of a meeting and we had 55 people on the call. The meeting was 2 hours and I was only able to stay on for the first hour. They went alphabetically through individual introductions. My name starts with 'W' and when it was my time to introduce myself I simply gave an introduction and then said, unfortunately though I have to now leave. Lesson - make sure your meetings are meaningful.

I had one boss that would ask for “favors” on projects outside the regular meetings. At first, it was exciting to get these extra tasks thinking it would help boost my value. I soon learned that she was taking all of the credit for my creative ideas, PowerPoints, etc. Sending an email to clarify what she was asking of me outside the meetings with a CC to her boss soon put a stop to the extra work without the credit. Helping boost a boss in one thing, but taking advantage of your skills should not be tolerated! She was demoted in the company and still works alone.

Throughout my career I've learned the importance of adaptability. Whether you are dealing with a policy overhaul or an organization-wide initiative, it's important to adapt to speed bumps quickly. It is important to be comfortable with communicating transparently to all stakeholders and remaining flexible. This type of approach will not only help you keep the project on track, but exhibiting this skill will also build a culture of resilience and responsiveness for you and your team.