The Gauntlet
Leaders don’t improve results all by themselves; the people in the business produce the results, because they want to grow and succeed.
Leaders do create the conditions that enable those they lead to fulfill their aspirations, to achieve their Company, and their developmental, goals. One of these conditions is setting expectations.
Once their expectations are understood, leaders can cultivate their team’s shared commitment – to one another and to goal achievement.
Productive expectations include these three characteristics:
- Clarity: Only when there is clarity about their roles, goals, and actions can a team function as a team, trusting in their leader’s rationale and direction, and operating in partnership with one another.
- Accountability: Having established clarity, leaders expect their teams to accept their individual and shared accountability, confident that their leader encourages their collaboration to resolve challenges, and supports appropriate risks deemed necessary to fulfill their responsibilities and achieve assigned goals.
- Impact: When leaders clarify the impact of their team’s efforts, why their work will make a difference, and how those efforts will be recognized and appreciated, team members feel valued and are motivated to invest the additional energy required to achieve their goals.
How might these characteristics strengthen your expressed expectations for your team?
