Weekend Learning: Expect Participation

What a tremendous and glorious weekend. I really hope that everyone had a fantastic couple of days and are all set and ready to rock on this Monday, June 29th, 2020. This weekend was full of lots of time outside where we enjoyed 80+ degree weather. Given that most of my cohorts are in AZ or MX that is a reasonable number, huh?

Well here we are again and thank you for continuing to read this blog. Big shout out to those who have commented and generally offered support. It inspires me and I was truly very excited to get on with Blog #2……. we will call this article “Weekend Learnings” which might become a thing. We shall see.

So, lets jump right in. I had a light bulb moment this weekend while coaching little league baseball. We have a team of 13 young men that are getting their first taste of truly competing. Think about it, they have mostly all played rec sports where participation & just showing up is rewarded. Imagine that…. you get rewarded for just showing up at this point in your young life. I guess I like that as I’ve always been told that the most important ability is availability….but what happens when your other cohorts start not just showing up but showing out and excelling in all they do? Boss man probably is not going to hand you a participation trophy, huh?

While we should probably talk about this “Participation Trophy” idea that is not where we are going today. Let me guide you down the path of expectations. That is what these writings will be about.

Now there is a lot here to unpack. It dawned on me that I had not really sat down and look at these young men and plainly spelled out what my expectations were of them. Not for the season, for the day, not for how they get to drills, for how they show up on time and keep our field looking NYCE. Imagine that…these young men did so well the first 3 practices purely by showing up, watching my example, and executing to the best of their ability and they are 7 & 8 years old. 

That made me both pleased that they are capable and a bit disappointed because I had not done my part to let them know what was expected of them. So, this weekend I did that & my expectations are pretty simple:

1)     Be Safe & Respectful

2)     Get Better Everyday

3)     Work Hard

4)     Be Accountable

Just like that they had a better idea of how to succeed in my eyes. Now ask yourself, have you sat an employee, significant other, child, team, etc. down and just shared your expectations? If you have not what are you thinking right now? Has someone every done something with great intentions and you were still like, “Why did you do that? That’s certainly was not what I expected out of you.” Well if you have, here you have a situation where I made the same mistake of not discussing those expectations out loud but trust me, I expect these young men to meet those expectations. 

After practice I did reflect on this and my first article. I very clearly started with a focus on empathy and being a leader that understood it was their responsibility to create an environment for success. To have their people’s back. Well if you have not had this expectations conversation on a regular basis than you are not doing the complete job. You are participating but are you…once again…. doing a complete job?

When I asked myself this question it was a HARD NO for me for these young men. Moving forward it will be a HARD YES. I’ll ask:

-         Do you know what I expect in this situation?

-         Have I been clear in my expectations?

-         Do you feel you can meet these expectations?

-         If not, how I can put you in a position to meet those expectations?

I mean the list could go on and I am sure your mid-year review covers them all, right? You have done it, it is on a list from HR, you can download it from the shared drive or company intranet site……. jajajajajajajaja!

That is me chuckling because I am hoping this ring a bell. Get to your people. Check if they truly understand what is expected of them. Check if they realize that expectations change when business is tough, and we are in the middle of a global pandemic. Make sure they readjust and 100% make sure you never have to face the question of, “Well you never told me what was expected of me.”

Trust me you will feel like you missed an opportunity. You will feel like you just did not do the complete job. You just showed up, participated, and hoped everyone else just followed your example. 

Until next time………do not let your expectations be a guessing game…. make it a great day!

EJO