Boss's Tip of the Day: Set clear expectations
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If you're a boss, you know that every day is a challenge to do better. Here is a tip remind you of how to be a great boss. It's based on the same research I used to develop my programs and the Working Supervisor's Support Kit .
Set clear expectations.
If you don't set clear expectations for your team members, they will either guess what you want or they will do what's easiest or they will do nothing while they wait for instructions. Not one of those is a good outcome.
Make your expectations as clear as possible, but don't trust in your communications skill. Check for understanding.
Here are some other tips to think about.
Give team members the maximum control possible over their work.
Remember that your job is to help the team and team members succeed.
Show up a lot.
Your behavior is what you say and do. Use it to influence what others say and do.
If you find these tips helpful, you should consider
purchasing my Working Supervisor's Support Kit.
Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.
Categories: Supervision, Boss, Working Supervisor's Support Kit, Management, Leadership
Tags: Boss Leadership Management Supervision Working Supervisors Support Kit
Great advice and the one that I have to remember is to make sure to also put it in writing. I had an employee who no matter what you said she would put her own spin on it. If three other people said "blue" she would insist everyone said "yellow". Writing it down solved that issue, it also made it much easier to fire her when she was unable or unwilling to see how she set up situations for frustration.
Sometimes there just "ain't no other way" and that makes me sad.
Sylvia Lafair
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My experience may be a bit different, Sylvia. I've found that for most people, most of the time, oral communication of expectations works just fine. Sometimes because of the person or the situation, that won't work and you just described one of those times. Thanks for coming by.
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Great post. Clear expectations make both the manager and employees job easier and more enjoyable.
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True, Jacob. Managers don't get disappointed and team members don't get "caught out"
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Ambiguous instructions can be extremely detrimental to productivity. Besides, they can greatly undermine your authority as well because the lack of clarity will make your employees feel like you yourself don't know what needs to be done.
Your point about 'Showing up a lot', I feel, is also important. A boss who is always around and available is a lot more effective than an 'absentee' boss who disappears after 'meetings'.
- Sindoora
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"Showing up" really is the key for me, because it makes so much possible. Thanks for sharing your insights.
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Agreed! "Showing up" shows your employees that you truly care about their work and that you are available if need be. If you fail to set clear expecations for your employees, you will probably not get the result you want and your employees will feel cheated. Great post!
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Thanks for adding to the conversation, AJ, and thanks for the kind words.
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