Expectations are a Two-Way Street

Scenario

Mr. Mukesh, the CEO of a profitable midsized experiential marketing company. He had built the company from the ground up and wanted to branch out in different verticals. But for that, he would need some operator with industry-specific skills. So, he hired Mr. Rahul an expert in a new vertical, to help expand the company.

However, a year into the venture, things were not going as expected, and Mr. Mukesh felt that his relationship with Mr. Rahul was souring. They realized there was a misalignment between

At the root of all misalignment, frustration, and resentment is:?

1. Unknown expectations, and/or
2. Unreasonable expectations, and/or
3. Unmet expectations

So, What should they do?

As a leader, you must set clear and realistic expectations, and provide the tools for those clear and realistic expectations to be met.

However, as an employee, you must also take full responsibility to ensure you are given clear and realistic expectations and demand the tools to meet those expectations. If your leader isn’t going to do it, well, lead your leader.

For Leadership

If you too have any current issues that you haven’t been able to crack, start with the exercise which I would suggest to Mr. Mukesh & Mr. Rahul.

• Write down exactly what you expect of your employee. Specifically, write down what you expect of your employee and what you sincerely believe they know you expect of them. Also write down what you believe they expect of you.
• Have your employee write down exactly what they believe you expect of them, and what they expect of you in return.
• Compare and decide where you have a misalignment. Then, humbly meet with your employee and work on a plan to resolve any unknown, unrealistic, or unmet expectations.

Once expectations are defined, they should be provided

?????i.?????????Verbally

???? ii.?????????In writing

?? ??iii.????????Through email

?????iv.????????Signed by you and the employee

?????v.?????????Measured, when possible, through transparent, real-time dashboards

Below is a sample of what an expectations document may look like for a Sales Director providing expectations to a Sales Manager.

For Employees

If your leader hasn’t clearly delivered realistic expectations, you’ve got to get involved and lead them to it.

Try to get them to deliver their expectations in the format above.

If they won’t do so, here are the types of questions you need to be asking of your manager:

1.??Meet with your manager and have them detail for you very explicit expectations for:

a.??Time

?????i.?????????The first 30 days

?? ?ii.?????????The first 90 days or full quarter

??? ?iii.?????????Annual expectations, if applicable

b.??Compensation

??????i.?????????How exactly will you be compensated? When? What intervals??

???? ?ii.?????????Are you actually getting a raise? Keep in mind, it is very common for a top-producing individual contributor actually to make less when they take their first management role.

??????iii.?????????How do they define “On Target Earnings” or bonuses?

?? ??iv.?????????What exactly determines whether you have earned your variable compensation?

c.???Growth

??????i.?????????Are you expected to grow, and by how much?

??? ??ii.?????????In which exact areas are you expected to grow? Total volume? Total revenue? Market penetration? Headcount?

??? ??iii.?????????What is the company committing, in writing, to help you meet those growth targets? What help will you have from Recruiting? How many additional leads are Marketing committing to providing? Are you responsible for the growth even if the company fails to provide those resources?

d.??Reporting

???????i.?????????What reports are expected from you? How often? In what form? Who provides the quantitative data? What mix of quantitative data and qualitative commentary are needed??

e.??Communication

???? ??i.?????????Are you expected to be on call 24/7?

??????ii.?????????Does your manager prefer phone, text, email, Slack, or in person?

??????iii.?????????Does your manager expect to have conversations, or simply have you quickly give reports?

??????iv.?????????How does your manager treat communication on poor results? Do they see explanations as excuses? Do they always want bad news immediately, or do they prefer to be informed only when a solution is determined?

This might not be the formula for guaranteed success.

But It is a framework for diagnosing the root of every misalignment, frustration, and resentment in life.

Share this article with your managers.