Your Employees Want to be Accountable
/
Do your employees truly know what is expected from them? Desired results don’t just appear out of thin air. The first step to accountability is providing clear expectations.
When you give your team clear expectations, the people that truly belong on your team have a strong desire not only to meet expectations, but to exceed them. They want to do work that is purposeful, work that gets noticed.
No one looks forward to falling short of expectations so use this to your advantage. You can start with the assumption that they have the skills and desire to succeed, and as an effective leader, it is your responsibility to map out the path to success.
In turn, it is your team’s responsibility to take the journey set before them.
If there is an employee on your team that is not meeting your expectations, it’s time to act. I know you don’t want to – nobody does. But as a manager, you need to.
Schedule a time this week to talk to them to see if their perceived expectations match yours. If not, you need to re-set your expectations. This is a key point. Setting or re-setting expectations well requires you to be very specific. Include the outcomes you expect, the measurable goals, where appropriate, include timelines, milestones, boundaries, and the resources they can tap into to get the work done (people, money, etc…).
If you don’t do this step, sadly it’s unlikely that you will see the outcomes you want. It is the single most important thing you can do for lasting results.
Don’t send them on their journey alone. Be there along the way, providing expectations, encouragement and constructive adjustments. It’s worth the trip.