Soar to Success June 2015

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By Cindy Allen Stuckey
Expectations: Do You
Have Them? Do Your
Employees Get Them?
If you picked up your phone right now and
asked one of your employees “Do you know
what is expected of you?’ what answer would
you get?
As a leader, you’re busy and assume that
everyone is doing his/her job. One of your most
common frustrations probably is expectations
NOT BEING MET. To perform well, your
employees need to know what is expected of
them.
Here are 4 questions to guide your conversations
about expectations:
#1: WHAT DO YOU (THE LEADER) EXPECT?
Before you have a conversation, you must
be clear on this. A good leader reflects on
themselves first, and then on others when
assessing expectations. Ensure there is a clear
definition of what success looks like for an
employee in that position. Then, and only then,
can you communicate clearly to your employee
what is expected.
#2: WHAT DOES YOUR EMPLOYEE THINK YOU
EXPECT? Ask him to tell you what success looks
like. You want to make sure that he heard you
and really understands what you said. Listen
carefully to ensure the two of you are talking
about the same expectations.
#3: HOW DOES YOUR EMPLOYEE THINK HE’S
DOING? Ask this before giving your feedback.
The answer will give you great information about
your employee’s perspective and understanding
of the job. This is also the time for an employee
to talk about his work and to tell about his
successes and struggles.
#4: HOW IS YOUR EMPLOYEE REALLY DOING?
Leader, this is where you get to talk and provide
feedback on the job your employee is doing.
Make sure you prepare prior to the conversation
by asking yourself: What progress can the
employee celebrate? And how is the best way to
give feedback to this employee?
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SOAR TO SUCCESS | JULY 2015 | Business Acceleration Strategies