How do you manage expectations and roles in your team to avoid confusion and frustration?

We actively negotiate responsibilities and expectations in our dynamic team with the skill of a dance with an intense choreography. To ensure everyone is hitting their beats, we establish responsibilities, realistic expectations, and a strong sense of frequent check-ins via crystal-clear communication. We record key agreements to keep us all in tune while grooving with the flexibility to adjust to shifting beats. Team-building exercises provide another level of strength, creating an environment where input is welcome. Actively leading by example, we foster a culture in which each employee's unique skills are fully realized, for a dynamic, joyful, and productive team and workplace.

Communication plays important part here. First, is to understand team and share the upcoming Roadmap with everyone in the team. Secondly, is to bring up the communication plan and make sure everyone understand the purpose of the communication plan. Thirdly, set frequency and initiate the follow up cadence. Such as Daily Standup meeting, Weekly Meeting., Review, Retrospective meeting and etc. With above strategy, we are able to set primary PIC, secondary PIC and have it cross functional support.

Communicating expectations sounds great in principle and yet, it is a very common source of conflict, especially in the workplace. What is the most frequent obstacle to the communication? The assumption that it has been done. This is what I have heard countless times: Manager: They knew what I wanted and didn’t deliver. Me: How did you communicate your expectations? Manager: They should know what I want. Me: What can you do to change the results next time? Manager: Maybe, I should state my expectations? Me: Great idea! That's it. Yes, it sounds obvious. Our assumptions mislead us. Expectations can't be met if they are not known. Communicate expectations by talking about them.

Surveys can tend to come off as out of touch - especially in the context of working with your own team. The best ways in my experience to monitor performance and get feedback are to have regular one on ones with all of my team members, as well as regular team meetings. It promotes communication and it’s not cold like a survey, or anxiety inducing like a review can be.

Emphasizing genuinely shared values and goals is another excellent resource when managing conflict. The suggestions of active listening and empathizing can contribute to safety in a difficult conversation and get team members operating out of their frontal lobes again.