How do you set effective expectations for your employees?
It’s important that you do, because when you do, it helps increase productivity, morale, and, ultimately, results.
When you set expectations poorly, it can create distrust, demotivate employees, waste loads of time (people doing the wrong thing or having to redo it), and can cause the results you get to suffer.
In this article, you will learn why the expectations you set may not be clear, the principles of setting clear expectations, and the steps to take when doing so.
Before we do that, however, it’s important to know what we mean when we say “expectations.”
What do we mean by “expectations?”
While there are different meanings when someone says the word “expectations,” in this article we are talking about expectations from the aspect of you giving instructions for your employees’ work.
A good definition we can use is:
Expectations are the agreed-upon outcomes, behaviors, and standards that define what success looks like in a given role, task, or project.
That’s a little wordy, so let’s break it down some.
First are the outcomes that you want to happen—the end result. This is what the end of the task, project, etc. should look like (or for a role, these are the results one should get in that role).
They include the behaviors someone should have while working to get those results (generally that’s part of the values of your organization and culture, but you may specify certain behaviors in certain situations).
It also includes the standards that they will follow when doing it (such as the quality of work) and the measurements by which the outcome will be judged to see if it successful or not.
Basically, you are telling people what needs to happen, what will be used to judge if it did happen, and, in ways, how it needs to happen (the behaviors, etc.).
Sound good?
Let’s dive into how to set clear expectations, and to do that, let’s look at first why the expectations you set may not be clear.
Why your expectations may not be clear
There are a few major reasons why expectations aren’t given effectively, and I know I’ve fallen into some of these traps myself, especially the first one:
You make assumptions
I’ve hurt myself and the work my team was doing too many times with assumptions. They are SO easy to make.
It’s easy for me to think people know what I mean when I say something, but that’s frequently not the case.
For example, if I say fix the website banner—that can be interpreted in many ways. Just as if I tell my kids to clean their room, if I assume they know what I mean by that, I will frequently get different results than I’m hoping for.
You and I come from different backgrounds, different experiences, potentially different cultures, and different ways of thinking. When I tell you to do something, the lens you are looking through is likely to be much different than mine.
That’s why you and I have to be so careful about assuming people know our meaning or intent. That’s why, as we’ll talk about later, it’s important to be specific and to double-check understanding.
There’s a lack of good communication
This can partly go with assumptions, but there are other ways poor communication can hurt expectations.
First, in general, the mission and values of your organization should be known and repeated (or of your team if you are a lower-level leader and your organization doesn’t have clear values or mission). Those are guiding lights for decision-making, seeing the purpose and why in the work, and the expected behaviors and cultural norms of your organization.
Second, sometimes people think making things complex and complicated or using special jargon makes them look smart, and that is what business talk and writing is supposed to be like.
That’s just not true. And when communication is complex or hard to understand, it’s easy for expectations to be miscommunicated.
Third, too often communication is one-way. There’s no listening. There’s no feedback. When that happens, it’s easy to go down wrong paths.
You never learned how to set expectations
It could be because you never learned. Too often managers aren’t trained or trained well when they move up into those positions. It’s hard to give clear expectations if you don’t know how.
But lucky for you, that’s what we are about to talk about. Let’s dive into the principles of setting clear expectations.
Principles of setting clear expectations
Let’s go over some principles that you need to follow when setting clear expectations for your team and employees.
Expectations should focus on the outcome (generally)
Usually, your focus is on the outcome that you want, not the details on how to get there. A mistake many leaders make is they focus on making sure people do things a certain way and end up micromanaging their employees, demotivating them and hurting their productivity.
Yes, certain industries may have legal and safety regulations that require certain steps. Different people have different levels of expertise, and you may be more involved with those who are new or inexperienced than those with more experience. But, in general, your focus is on the results, not on making sure people do things a certain way to get those results.
Write out the expectations
When possible, it’s a good idea to write out what the expecations are. First, it helps you clarify it. When you write it out, it can help you think through it better.
Writing it out also keeps you and the other person from forgetting part of it. It helps keep you from the “I said, you said” statements that can happen if you remember things one way, but the other person remembers it differently.
Written expectations make it clear to everyone what is expected and what is not.
Make it simple and clear
Complexity is an enemy of clarity.
The more complex it is, the harder it will be to be understood, and the greater the chance for misunderstandings.
The simpler it is, the clearer it will be.
Think of it this way. If I give you a packet full of charts, graphs, loads of paragraphs, complex words and concepts, and so on, you may go through it eventually, but there’s a good chance you may not understand all that I’m asking you to do.
However, if I give you a simple page with simple language with a bullet point list of what is expected and what the outcome should look like, you are much more clear on what to do.
It’s not that charts, etc. are bad if needed, but the simpler and clearer it is, the better.
Be specific
Vague language is also a detriment to clarity and brings about misunderstandings. You want to be specific as you can. You want to paint a picture of what the outcome should look like.
This will include metrics and any key result areas and so forth so that people know exactly what is expected.
Define the why and link it
Purpose is one of the main motivators for humans. Without purpose, we feel more lost in our work, wonder why we are doing it and if we are just wasting time.
The mission of your organization should be a big part of the overall purpose of their work. But it goes deeper than that.
With set roles, projects, and tasks you should clarify and help them see how their work contributes to the overall big picture. You should help them see the why of the work they are doing.
You are less likely to get the results you want when you don’t attach purpose to the work.
Know where they are at
It’s important to know where your people are at when setting expectations with them so that you can be sure you are giving the right expectations to the right people. It also helps you be able to provide the level of support they need.
If someone is brand new, you want to know that so that you can offer that extra support as they start out. If someone is more experienced, then how you interact with them may be different.
Be clear about the metrics
You need to know, and they need to know, what success and failure looks like for the project, role, or task. What will they be graded on? How will they know if they are making progress or not?
Make sure metrics are clear.
Set milestones and deadlines
Make sure that you include deadlines, and, depending on the project, milestones along the way. Without deadlines, there’s no urgency. There’s no reason to start or do it.
Same with milestones. Without milestones, it will be much harder to check and see how the project is progressing (both for you and them), what support is needed, how you can help, and be able to fix things before they go too far off.
These may be set beforehand or they may be created together during your discussion with them. It depends on the project and situation.
Clarify that they understand
This is HUGE. This is a VITAL step when setting expectations.
Even if you give them a piece of paper with the expectations on it, even if you think they are the most clear expectations ever created on this planet, you MUST clarify that they understand and are on the same page.
If not, if you assume they do and don’t ask, you will eventually find out that they understood it differently. it just may be after a few weeks of them wasting their time doing it in the way they saw it (but ultimately, wrong).
Clarifying that they understand is relatively easy—you just ASK.
You can say, “I just want to make sure I was clear in what I was saying, would you repeat back the instructions I gave?”
Or “Tell me from your perspective what the task is and what the outcome is supposed to look like?”
Or “Just to make sure I said it well, would you tell me what you think I’m asking you to do?”
Be open about challenges and roadblocks
Let’s say you’ve done the project before or have seen others do a similar project. You may understand the challenges they may face or roadblocks that might hinder them when doing the project, whether knowledge-wise, politics or culture within the company, etc.
Be upfront and clear about the challenges and roadblocks that you know they could face. That way you both can prepare for them and they will be ready to overcome them when they happens.
Show what the outcome should look like, when possible
There are different ways to do this. One is to have an exemplar. For example, when a teacher gives students a project at school, he/she might have a completed project to show them so they know what it’s supposed to look like.
If the task or project has been done before, and there are examples you can show the person, do so. That will help them know how what they do is supposed to turn out.
That’s not always the case, however. You may paint the picture with your words, outline or create a checklist of what it should look like, give the metrics, and so on.
However you do it, make sure what you want them to do is clear.
Use checklists and sops when applicable
Checklists and sops (standard operating procedures) are not about micromanaging but about consistency and saving people time.
Certain reports may have certain aspects that should be done every time – a checklist is useful for that.
If someone is writing and posting blogs, there are likely certain steps that need to be done each time – a checklist is great for that.
It also helps people from forgetting key aspects of what they need to do. Pilots and surgeons use checklists partly for this reason.
Do note that checklists and sops shouldn’t be set in stone, and you should always be looking to improve them.
Make it a two-way discussion
Generally, your setting of expectations shouldn’t be one way. It should be a discussion.
First, when someone takes part in creating the expecations or is able to give input, they will have more ownership and motivation in the work.
It can also be good to discuss the expectation, milestones, and work together on them because they may see things you don’t and have certain viewpoints that you may not have.
Other times, there may be little to no leeway in what need to be done. Even in those cases you want to discuss it to make sure it’s understood and, even then, to hear their perspective on it.
Create a safe environment for people to speak up
Your culture is everything. If people fear speaking up, disagreeing, asking questions, making mistakes, etc., you are much more likely to have misunderstandings when setting expectations.
If people fear speaking up, they generally won’t. Then projects then can go the wrong direction for long periods of time, mistakes will happen that could have been prevented, and so on.
You want pepole to feel comfortable asking questions, asking for help, seeking clarification, etc.
Provide the necessary tools, resources, and training
Part of your job as the leader is to make sure the person has the training and resources they need to do the job. If they need doors open that only you can open, you need to do that. Otherwise, you are setting them up for failure.
A great way to find out what resources, etc. they need is to ask them when discussing the project:
- How can I help you?
- What will you need to accomplish this?
- Are there any areas that you think you may need more help doing?
It’s important to follow-up with them after they start to see if something else has come up that they may need.
One great way for training people, if you will be doing the training, is the “I do, we do, you do” method, something many teachers use in school.
It goes like this: if you are showing someone how to do something, you first show them how to do it. Then you do it together and help them with any misunderstandings and corrections, and then you have them do it by themselves.
Document
We already mentioned writing out expectations, so, again, it’s important that you write them out and, as you discuss it with them, write out the final draft and share it with everyone involved (whether for task, project, or role). This helps prevent future confusion.
For repeated tasks and projects, it can be useful to keep the expectations on file for future use. It can also be useful to have the person doing the work document what they do so that the process is easier to follow by them or someone else in the future.
Follow-up
Make sure you follow up with people. When you set expectations, when you delegate, don’t just give them and ignore the person from then on (in other words, don’t abdicate).
You are still responsible as the leader. When you follow up, you can see where the project is at, what the needs are, what confusion or misunderstanding there might be, and where you can support and help the person succeed.
Take ownership of misunderstandings
If there are misunderstandings, own it. I know for me, if an employee didn’t do the work like I expected, the first person I had to look at was me. Often, I would find that the misunderstanding was my fault because I made assumptions or wasn’t clear enough.
Either way, as a leader, you are ultimately responsible, so focus on resolving it, not finding someone to blame. Blaming just makes you look weak and doesn’t help anyone.
Start with the job description
In the next section we will talk about the steps to take when giving instructions to someone, but it’s important to note that from the beginning of someone’s job, they should have clear expecations about their role.
Everyone should know what results they are responsible for, their key results areas, and the metrics being used. They should know what is most important for them to do in their role.
You may think they know, but too often that isn’t the case. One quick test is to first ask yourself if you yourself know what is important for that person’s job, then ask them and see if it is the same.
If not, you need to have a discussion and clarify so that those expectations are clear and everyone is on the same page.
(Yes, some jobs may vary and have other work that comes and goes, and it may change over time, but in all of that, there should be clarity, even if it changes, of what is important for them).
Steps to set expectations
Okay, now that we have covered the general principles of setting expectations, let’s go over the steps you would take when discussing expectations with someone.
I’ve broken these down in varying steps, but depending on the conversation, different ones may mix and mesh, so don’t feel like you have to do it all in some strict order.
First, make sure you are clear for yourself about what needs to be done
Before you give instructions to someone else, make sure you are clear as you can be about what the expecations are. If you aren’t sure yourself, how can the other person know?
One great step is to write it down and look at it. Then ask yourself, if you were looking at this from a blank slate, with no background knowledge, would you know what is expected? Does that match what is in your head?`
If you want help to make sure you are clear before you discuss it with the person, find a coworker or someone similar, ask them to look at it. Ask them what they think the expectations are, what questions they may have, and anything they think might be missing.
And, truth is, there may be times that you aren’t sure what the expectations should be in a certain project or situation. In those cases, you generally have a part-way idea in your head, and then you and the other person or people hash it out to make it clear.
You also may do it in stages. You set initial goals with the person, they start the work and get to a certain point, then you all come back together to discuss it and decide the next steps or the next stage from there.
Share the expectations with the person
Next, you discuss the expectations with the person. You paint the picture of what needs to be done and why it’s being done—its importance. You tie the work to the big picture. If possible, if you know their personal goals, you can tie it to their goals as well.
You share the metrics and what success looks like. You share the deadline of when it needs to be done.`
You follow the guidelines we mentioned above – specific, simple, clear, etc. You may have exemplars or illustrations to show them.
You listen
Then you may ask questions and ask them what questions they may have.
Depending on the task and the person, you may get their feedback on expectations and adjust accordingly.
You check to make sure they understand and are on the same page
You want to clarify that what you think you said is what they heard and that there isn’t mismatch or confusion about the expectations.
An easy question is, “Would you repeat back what I said to make sure I was clear and didn’t create any confusion?”
Or “We’ve discussed this a bit, just to make sure we are on the same page, what do you think the expectations are for this project (or what does this project entail)?”
You set milestones
Some tasks may have deadlines set in stone that can’t be adjusted. Others can.
Likely you will discuss milestones with the person and work with them on what milestones to set.
For some projects, you may set many milestones for the project. Others, you may set a few, then once progress is made, adjust or add others as you go along.
Some projects may be simpler to set, some are uncertain and change. That’s okay.
You see what support or help they need from you
Ask them how you can help them and how you can support them.
As you discuss the project, you may find they need some extra training or help in certain areas. There may be needs you haven’t even realized, but by asking, you can see what’s needed and help provide it.
(Again, when you follow up later, keep asking the same question, as things they didn’t realize in the beginning may become apparent or things may change.)
Review and clarify
Once you’ve discussed it all and written down your notes as you went, you want to review everything you’ve discussed and any additions or changes you mentioned. You also want to review any help you will be providing, the milestones and deadlines, etc.
You may review it and ask questions, ask them what different areas you discuss mean, ask them to review everything how they see it, or so on.
Again, you want to make sure you both are on the same page about what is expected and by when.
Send out a copy of what was discussed
You may have it there with you already or you may need to consolidate all you discussed and send it later. Either way, make sure to send it out as a reminder to everyone of what was said and agreed upon.
Follow up –
Then follow-up. How often depends on the importance of the task, the person and their experience, etc. If someone is new to the task (or the task itself is new) or the task is of critical importance, you may check in more frequently than if it’s someone highly experienced with it and has done it 100 times.
Your goal of this is not to “get them” if they are off task but to help and support them in the process. If they are off track, you want to find out why and help them get back on track. If they need extra support, you want to find out so you can get that support to them. If there are obstacles, you want to see what you may need to do on your part to help get rid of those.
Other ways it could be done
How you present expecations may vary depending on the project or task. Some you may come with just a general idea, hash it out with the person, write it out, and take it by stages.
Others may be clear cut and dry.
Don’t think of the steps above as set in stone, but general guidelines that are based on the principles that you should follow.
Summary/Conclusion
Setting clear expectations is important, and now you know the principles and steps to giving expectations effectively.
However, the only way to get good at it is to do it. Even after reading this, you will likely make mistakes, fall into the trap of assumptions, or not communicate as clearly as you think you are.
That’s okay. That’s part of learning. Just take ownership of it, learn from it, admit mistakes when they happen, work to fix it, and keep moving forward.
Over time, the more you do it, the better you will get at it.
