Have an alignment discussion
“What is important to being successful in my job?”
The manager and employee should meet and jointly define the expectations. This means that the manager shares their expectations and then listens to the employee’s perspective. The manager will probably have a few “non-negotiables,” which are expectations they feel need to be obtained and part of the employee’s daily work. However, the employee’s perspective needs to be heard and incorporated into expectations. At the end of the conversation, both sides need to be clearly aligned.
Your expectations should be at the heart of everything you do. When you have clear expectations, you can determine what actions are required to achieve these long-term goals.
Develop supportive strategies
“What do I need to do to get from Point A to Point B?”
Expectations should be challenging. That means the employee will need development and support to achieve all expectations. As the manager, you need to provide customized coaching and other developmental resources to each member of your team. This is no small task and requires dedicated time and planning to accomplish.
Establish measurement parameters
“How will I know if I am successfully fulfilling the expectations of my role?”
For an employee to fulfill their expectations, they need a way to measure their progress, which can be defined by a metric of some sort, such as sales. However, other expectations are measured by observed behavior such as treating colleagues respectfully.
The key is to gain clear alignment with the employee on what will be measured for each expectation to determine the level of performance. This alignment on what will be measured focuses the employee on the performance versus the measured outcome.
At Romar Learning Solutions, we offer a variety of adult training solutions. We develop leaders so they can guide their employees in achieving performance excellence. Interested in learning more? Contact us today!
