Do Your Employees Know Your Expectations?
Cathie Leimbach • September 16, 2020
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Years ago, when I was participating in an exchange program to Britain, I was unclear about how to meet my host’s expectations. She asked me to make cucumber sandwiches and handed me bread, butter, cucumbers, and the necessary kitchen tools. I asked her how she wanted me to make them and was told it was up to me.
My only experience with cucumber sandwiches had been at High Tea. The bread had been cut in dainty circles, spread with cream cheese, and topped with a cucumber slice. But my host hadn’t provided a round cookie cutter nor cream cheese. And I thought it strange to put slices of cucumber between two slices of bread. My host left the kitchen and I proceeded to make basic open-faced cucumber sandwiches with quartered slices of buttered bread and a couple of cucumber slices. When she returned, her quizzical facial expression showed this wasn’t what she had in mind.
She was expecting cucumber slices between two slices of buttered bread. She didn’t care whether I buttered the bread or sliced the cucumber first, nor whether the sandwiches were cut into two or four pieces. She had empowered me to make the sandwiches HOW I wished but had assumed that I knew WHAT a cucumber sandwich looked like to her.
Similarly, many employees report that they struggle to meet workplace expectations because they don’t know what their supervisor or the company expects from them. They don’t know if fulfilling 20 takeout orders per hour or calling 75 prospects per day is considered good performance. The sales rep may not know what to do when they get voicemail; do they leave a message or not?
Effective managers are very clear. Each staff member knows what they are expected to accomplish each day. The manager communicates what the staff are to achieve, the volume of work to be accomplished, and the required quality standards.
Providing a very specific description of the results staff are expected to achieve, is essential in developing high performing team members. Start with one result you want that at least one staff person is not pulling off. Show and tell that individual the exact outcome you are looking for. Then, ask them to state your expectations so you can see if your explanation was adequate.
Until they can list all of your expectations - that is, they can accurately describe WHAT the desired result is - they won’t be able to achieve the results you are seeking. The ball is in your court, manager!
A growth mindset means believing you can get smarter and develop new skills through hard work and practice. People with a growth mindset see challenges as opportunities to grow. On the other hand, a fixed mindset means thinking your talents and abilities cannot change much, no matter how hard you try. People with a growth mindset are more likely to exercise self-discipline to learn new behaviors. This helps us adapt to new opportunities. When we push ourselves to try different approaches, we open doors that would otherwise remain closed. This takes courage and commitment, especially at first when new ways of doing things feel uncomfortable or difficult. Our brains have amazing potential to change throughout our lives. When we repeatedly practice new skills or ways of thinking, our brain creates new pathways that make these actions easier over time. What once felt impossible can gradually become second nature. The hard part is sticking with new behaviors long enough for them to become normal. This is where self-discipline comes in . By consistently practicing different approaches, what once required enormous effort eventually feels natural. This ability to adapt keeps us growing, helps us keep up with our changing world, and unlocks possibilities we might never have imagined.
In today's busy workplace, asking good questions can make you better at your job. Open-ended questions—ones that need more than just "yes" or "no" answers—help you learn more and have better conversations with others. Research shows these questions really work. Gallup found that managers who use open-ended questions have 27% less employee turnover and 18% better productivity. These questions make team members feel safe to share their ideas. Harvard Business Review says that when bosses ask at least four open-ended questions in meetings, teams come up with 42% more creative solutions. By asking instead of telling, leaders get more ideas from everyone. McKinsey discovered that managers who are good at asking open-ended questions find 34% more opportunities for process improvement. These questions help spot problems and challenge old ways of thinking. These benefits go beyond just team conversations. The Journal of Applied Psychology found that salespeople who use open-ended questions with customers make 23% more sales. By better understanding what customers need, they can offer better solutions. Learning to ask open-ended questions isn't just about talking better—it's a skill that helps you succeed in all parts of work. Click here for more information.