Does Your Team Know Your Leadership Expectations? A Simple Process

As a leader, there isn’t much time during the workday to get all that we want to accomplish especially with our teams. It is difficult to keep team members motivated, on track, and accomplishing all of the work that we require just to meet standards.

Team members crave consistency and a specific message as to what needs to be accomplished and what needs to be done. Do you have a specific message and set of expectations that your team strives towards or knows that this is the way business is done in your company or work?

What expectations do you have for your team? Having these expectations filter down and are a means also of not only setting the standards for work processes your team but also define the culture of your department or company.

This is not just another exercise in leadership without results. You can create a simple story as to what your expectations are for the team that you can use at the next department meeting.

CEOs I have worked with have taken this even further and taken the expectations and expanded them into a larger venue to the top 10 values and expectations of the company. But there always is a hesitancy of what if these values change over time. Well, so what? By at least having something, you have a roadmap of what the expectations are of the company. Everyone drives the work, deliverables and results based upon these values.

To start this doesn’t have to be a long process. I am a firm believer in practical, short and valuable. Just take 30 minutes and think about what are the three expectations I have for my department. It could be as simple as flawless execution. Another method is to think about what frustrates you with the output of the work? Turn that around to the positive solution.

Here are some words to get you thinking about leadership expectations:

• Creativity
• Flawless execution
• Teamwork
• Intellectual Stimulation
• Client Focus

Just as important as creating the three leadership expectations, is how you will deliver the message. What is the way that you can authentically deliver this in a manner that will motivate the team? How will you deliver this in an authentic manner? What is the method and tool that works best? Is it a department or company meeting? Who needs to hear your message more than once?

That gets to another point of frustration for many leaders is that it is believed that once the message has been delivered, well the team got the message. Not so at all! Think about in advertising the 3+ message frequency. You can never the deliver the message enough. You must focus on your leadership expectations day after day. It is a consistent message that you deliver just as you do to your children. Day after day the message will become a habit and a consistent mode of day-to-day work. It just takes time as it does to build a culture and a team. This small bit of time will create lasting and rewards and dividends to smooth and product/results that excel.