Take the time to spell out goals for both you and your employees

Early in my career, I gave someone an assignment and the resulting work fell far short of my expectations. It was a lesson in the importance of making my expectations crystal clear.
One of the most common mistakes leaders make is assuming that their teams know and understand what is expected of them. Often, leaders assume that because they said it once, everyone remembers it.
Even though it sounds so basic, setting clear expectations and frequently reminding people of what they are is a key part of leading effectively.
Here are some of the expectations I have shared with our team at Radio Flyer:
My expectations are high for both you and me. I have very high expectations of all of you. You are a great team capable of achieving great things.
I expect you to:
■  Be deeply committed to our vision, mission, and values.
■  Profitably grow the company. It is not if we are going to do this, but how we are going to do it.
■  Know your stuff. Dig deeply into the details and get the details right. The details matter.
■  Have a high sense of urgency and speed. Get it done now — not tomorrow — that is how we can win.
■  Have focus and clarity and eliminate unnecessary distractions. Set clear priorities.
■  Act with integrity. One of the things I mean by integrity is tell me, tell your manager and tell your co-workers the real deal, no BS. Life is too short for that.
■  When you goof up, fess up and say, ‘I goofed up and here is how I am going to fix it.’
■  Build greatness in yourself. Hold yourself accountable to keep learning and don’t settle for mediocrity.
Those are my expectations and those are also the expectations I have for myself. If I don’t deliver, I need you to let me know.
These are other expectations of myself:
■  I will not shoot the messenger.
■  I will listen to you.
■  I will be 100 percent committed to the company’s long-term success and we will all share in the rewards of our success.
Here are some takeaways to help you with your business:
1. Write out all of your expectations for your team and for your company.
2. Prioritize and clarify them.
3. Take time to articulate the reasons why your expectations are important to you in the company. Often these can be the most inspiring stories for your team.
4. Communicate them in every way possible to your team — one on one, team meetings, in writing — and keep reminding people of them because people forget the new people are always joining the team.
People really appreciate directness, clarity and learning the reasons for your expectations.
It is actually not very common, but when it’s there, it can be a great motivator for your team. ●