What You Don't Know - Expectation Management and High Performance

Marriage is one of the best examples of expectation management. As someone who has traveled this road for almost 27 years, I have messed up and fallen short of that expectation management often (shocking, right?). I thought she would know something I needed or wanted automatically. Guess what? She did not. And I didn’t know hers either. That’s part of the fun of figuring this out. However, it doesn’t always feel like fun. It can be tense, hurtful, and annoying.

At work, it’s the same. We overlook how a lack of clear work expectations can lead to frustration, disengagement, and missed opportunities. It is part of our responsibility to ensure that our teams understand not only what’s expected of them but why it matters. Clarity is not a luxury; it’s a necessity!

We need to address ambiguity. Ambiguity leads to uncertainty, and uncertainty is a breeding ground for stress. Employees who aren’t sure what’s expected of them often end up second-guessing their work. We don’t need to facilitate lower confidence and poor productivity with our staff.

And we know how much unnecessary conflict arises when team members have differing interpretations of their roles. Managers struggle to communicate expectations and wind up defaulting to presumptions – “They should know how to do their job.” They may know how to do their job, but they may not know how the organization wants it done.

When expectations are vague, employees may also inadvertently focus their efforts on tasks that aren’t aligned with organizational goals. This misalignment doesn’t just impact individual performance - it affects the team and the company’s bottom line. Clear expectations eliminate this ambiguity. Sit and talk to your staff. Share what is needed for success.

And lest you think once is enough, outlining clear expectations doesn’t end with a one-time conversation. Feedback is the bridge between expectations and outcomes. Employees need to know how they’re doing and where they stand. Constructive feedback helps reinforce clarity by highlighting what’s working and addressing areas for improvement.

Feedback isn’t just a top-down exercise, either. Encourage employees to ask questions and provide input. Their perspectives can help identify areas where expectations might still be unclear. Collaborative conversations create a culture of mutual respect and shared responsibility for success. It’s a two-way street!

When employees have clarity, they gain confidence. Bottom line. They’re empowered to make decisions, take initiative, and innovate within their roles. This autonomy doesn’t just boost morale; it drives better results. Teams with clear expectations operate more efficiently, adapt more quickly to change, and deliver higher-quality work.

Just as I needed my wife to explain her needs and expectations, more than once, so do our staff and teams. Keep the cadence reasonable and your observations astute.