THE SECRET INGREDIENT TO GET CLEAR ON EXPECTATIONS FROM YOUR DIRECT REPORTS
Will Crist , MA
?? Certified EOS Implementer | ?? Helping Personal Injury Law Firms & Law Firms With a Vision & a Purpose Run Seamlessly | ?? Let's Break Your Growth Ceiling! ?? Make More Money While Making a Difference!
When I was working with one of my great leadership teams in a session, I was taking them through some questions, showing them how to apply EOS? Tools to their leadership and management issues. There were 7 members on the leadership team sitting around the conference room table in my Tustin session room.
The group was working through how to keep expectations clear with their direct reports. One of the team members asked, “Will, I’m feeling good about how to make sure my team is clear on my expectations of them but not so much on how to get clear on their expectations of me. I don’t know what they really want.” I could not have asked for a better set-up.
The rest of the leadership team were eager to share their frustrations with me about the difficulty in finding what people wanted.
In a playful mood, I said, “Okay. You have now asked about one of the more difficult things managers have to do. This is definitely something you want to write down.”
The group all prepared to write down my breakthrough management technique. After a pregnant pause, I said:
“You have to ask.”
“That’s right, you actually have to ask them what their expectation is of you and what they want.” Yeah, I received a bit of a groan from the group, but it really is this simple.
Every member of your team is different and has different needs and management expectations. This makes management tough, but also much more fun. In this world of management, where you have to manage everyone the way they need to be managed, it is essential that you ask.
Ask them what their expectations of you are, what the right Meeting Pulse? is for them, how best to communicate with them, and what makes them feel most appreciated. You will always get more value from a team that is getting their needs met.
To get the most from your people and be the manager your team deserves, you need to get out there and ask.
(Paraphrased from a blog article from my fellow EOS Implementer Jim Coyle.)