Master Your Game: Expectations That Generate Results
Master Your Game: Expectations That Generate Results
Try this exercise: Think of a person that reports to you and write down exactly what you expect of them. If you are having a tough time responding, you are not alone.
Through my experience of coaching both senior executives and new leaders, I often find that they are generally clear on what they want to achieve. However, when asked specifically about what they want from each of their staff, it's a different story. Suddenly, they are not so clear. Often, they are also frustrated with the people they work with but unable to uncover the real reasons why.
One way to increase your chances of achieving successful results is by understanding how to manage expectations.
Expectations
...........expectation. n. to think likely, something anticipated, a reasonable chance;
...........prospect, especially of success or gain.
Expectation is the thought that a likely, anticipated outcome can be achieved. But in order to attain success, the desire for a preferred outcome is not enough. It must also be clearly communicated to others.
According to research by McGill University, there are three steps to successfully defining clear expectations:
1. Clarifying Roles
2. Setting Objectives
3. Defining Behaviours
More about these steps below.
Clarifying Roles
In the workplace, clarifying roles has several layers. The roles you expect people to perform must be clear. It is also vitally important that individuals be aware how their role impacts someone else within the group. Furthermore, clear communication within the group is necessary to ensure that issues are being dealt with. For example, people need to know who holds the authority to make decisions that will move an initiative forward.
Setting Objectives
It is important that people know the importance of an initiative, why it is important, and the impact on the organization or customer of not achieving the target. Some organizations focus on this step to the exclusion of the other two steps.
To have well-defined objectives, it is necessary to establish goals that are aligned with the organization's vision, strategic objectives and business requirements. You must establish very specific outcomes that define optimal performance for each one of these goals.
Clear priorities must also be defined to establish where you would like your employees to focus their attention.
Defining Behaviour
When your employees are working towards the well- defined objectives, how do you expect them to behave? In my experience this is the area where managers feel the most frustration. They are expecting people to work closely together, to support each other, to have a sense of urgency, to have a positive attitude and strong belief in achieving the goal, and to have a commitment to quality. However, the reality often falls short of these expectations.
To clear up any confusion about acceptable behaviour, think about these three challenges and take steps to reverse it. One challenge managers often face is that they are unclear about their own behaviour and how it impacts others. Secondly, perhaps they have not defined, or else have poorly defined, the kind of behaviour that they expect from others. Finally, perhaps the failure is not in defining but in communicating defined expectations.
What does it take to be a star and what is just acceptable performance? The answer to this must be crystal clear to the team. Setting standards for behaviours is an essential step in increasing your chance at success.
Generate Results
An interesting correlation I have found in my work is that managers who are unable to define their expectations of others experience a high level of frustration with others. You can alleviate your distress by understanding the cause.
The next time you are frustrated with the results someone else is producing, ask yourself this question: How well have I defined my expectations of this person?
Follow the three steps for setting clear expectations, communicate clearly with your staff, and your desired results will follow.
Expecting Your Success,
Jacque Small
Catalyst Business Coaching
Master Your Game Expectations That Generate Results - To learn more about this author, visit Jacque Small's Website.
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Coaching Experience
Try this exercise: Think of a person that reports to you and write down exactly what you expect of them. If you are having a tough time responding, you are not alone.
Through my experience of coaching both senior executives and new leaders, I often find that they are generally clear on what they want to achieve. However, when asked specifically about what they want from each of their staff, it's a different story. Suddenly, they are not so clear. Often, they are also frustrated with the people they work with but unable to uncover the real reasons why.
One way to increase your chances of achieving successful results is by understanding how to manage expectations.
Expectations
...........expectation. n. to think likely, something anticipated, a reasonable chance;
...........prospect, especially of success or gain.
Expectation is the thought that a likely, anticipated outcome can be achieved. But in order to attain success, the desire for a preferred outcome is not enough. It must also be clearly communicated to others.
According to research by McGill University, there are three steps to successfully defining clear expectations:
1. Clarifying Roles
2. Setting Objectives
3. Defining Behaviours
More about these steps below.
Clarifying Roles
In the workplace, clarifying roles has several layers. The roles you expect people to perform must be clear. It is also vitally important that individuals be aware how their role impacts someone else within the group. Furthermore, clear communication within the group is necessary to ensure that issues are being dealt with. For example, people need to know who holds the authority to make decisions that will move an initiative forward.
Setting Objectives
It is important that people know the importance of an initiative, why it is important, and the impact on the organization or customer of not achieving the target. Some organizations focus on this step to the exclusion of the other two steps.
To have well-defined objectives, it is necessary to establish goals that are aligned with the organization's vision, strategic objectives and business requirements. You must establish very specific outcomes that define optimal performance for each one of these goals.
Clear priorities must also be defined to establish where you would like your employees to focus their attention.
Defining Behaviour
When your employees are working towards the well- defined objectives, how do you expect them to behave? In my experience this is the area where managers feel the most frustration. They are expecting people to work closely together, to support each other, to have a sense of urgency, to have a positive attitude and strong belief in achieving the goal, and to have a commitment to quality. However, the reality often falls short of these expectations.
To clear up any confusion about acceptable behaviour, think about these three challenges and take steps to reverse it. One challenge managers often face is that they are unclear about their own behaviour and how it impacts others. Secondly, perhaps they have not defined, or else have poorly defined, the kind of behaviour that they expect from others. Finally, perhaps the failure is not in defining but in communicating defined expectations.
What does it take to be a star and what is just acceptable performance? The answer to this must be crystal clear to the team. Setting standards for behaviours is an essential step in increasing your chance at success.
Generate Results
An interesting correlation I have found in my work is that managers who are unable to define their expectations of others experience a high level of frustration with others. You can alleviate your distress by understanding the cause.
The next time you are frustrated with the results someone else is producing, ask yourself this question: How well have I defined my expectations of this person?
Follow the three steps for setting clear expectations, communicate clearly with your staff, and your desired results will follow.
Expecting Your Success,
Jacque Small
Catalyst Business Coaching
Master Your Game Expectations That Generate Results - To learn more about this author, visit Jacque Small's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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