I KNOW WHAT IM DOING

Navigating Criticism: The Power of Clear Expectations in Work Performance

Criticism is hard to react to, even if it is constructive. Most people’s first reactions are anger, followed by feelings of failure and doubt about their capabilities.

Some people strive to do their best at what they are doing. Some just do the bare minimum, while others are somewhere in between. However, when faced with criticism, none of them feels particularly good. Some feel called out for nothing, while others take it personally.

Unfortunately, more and more managers are experiencing a missing link between letting people know what to do and criticising what should have been done better and/or differently.

The missing link is expectations!

A lot of managers and leaders are guilty of not setting up clear expectations for their employees. Expectations are the foundation base for healthy motivation, efficiency and delivering results. It sets up an understanding of what needs to be done and how.

How many of you thought – no training does that, right?

Does it?

Sure, you have the introductions and training on processes, with outlines of the duties and what needs to be done. Some organisation's training does offer explanations of why certain protocols are set up, but not all of them.

However, the KPI setup and what is expected does not always get said.

Have you ever experienced a situation where your manager expected you to do something, assuming it was common sense?

Or expect you to finish a certain task in 1 hour just because Jimmy always does?

Or on a question <What takes priority?>

You received an answer - Everything is a priority?

Communicating expectations is a key element to running the team efficiently.

It is also the key element to a conversation that would include constructive criticism about the performance and handled tasks.

See, you can only keep someone accountable for their work when you have been clear about what needs to be done and how.

If you haven’t had that conversation – how does the other person know? ?

Was your next thought- I'm sure I have told them this once some time ago!

Did you?

George Bernard Shaw said: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place”

In addition, expectations have to be periodically repeated, reminded and communicated. Besides, keeping the expectations realistic and obtainable is important for your team not to lose motivation. If the expectations are unclear and constantly moving, they will be less likely to put in the effort to meet them

The best results of productivity are achieved when expectations are combined with regular performance reviews and questions about additional support or training needed.?

Firstly, that conversation will not feel like criticism – as this will be a regular check-in and helpful for both the manager and the team member.

Secondly, it helps to identify what could be going wrong and what support is needed early in the process.

But setting expectations is not enough!

There is a fine line between explicitly instructing individuals on their responsibilities and granting them the autonomy to exercise their own judgment.

In any organization, team members are expected to follow established protocols and guidelines to avoid confusion, delays, and errors in decision-making.

However, what about situations that are not standard?

Imagine a problem repeating itself periodically. Something that an employee has seen being handled several times exactly the same way by the manager, but no official guidance has been issued.

Should the employee take the initiative and make a decision or, go to the manager?

The answer really depends on the team, situation and the culture of work at the organisation.

However, what I want to bring your attention to is that eventually, everyone will make a make and/or bad judgment call.

It is important to learn from the situation and use this as an example to set future expectations and to emphasize the importance of communication!

What managers definitely should NOT DO is engage in MICROMANGMENT out of fear of employees making mistakes. Micromanagement is not only counterproductive but can also harm the team's confidence.

When team members are not given the opportunity to take ownership of their work and make decisions based on their expertise, it creates a sense of unease in the workplace.

Provide a safe space for the team to ask questions

Creating an environment where team members can speak up, ask questions and suggest improvements is the answer to leading and managing a high performance team and the first step in creating the balance between what's expected and taking ownership!

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