Sticky Notes: Maintaining Clear Expectations

Since maintaining clear expectations is an ongoing process of leaders and followers and coworkers engaging in dialogue, it helps a lot to teach followers how to do their part in that ongoing dialogue.

Making expectations clear is 99% of good management. That means that 99% of management training is teaching managers exactly HOW to make expectations clear. But that doesn’t have to be 99% of your training strategy. Since maintaining clear expectations is an ongoing process of leaders and followers and coworkers engaging in dialogue, it helps a lot to teach followers how to do their part in that ongoing dialogue. Some tips:

STEP 1: Work with your boss (or bosses) to figure out the goals, guidelines, and timelines for every task, responsibility, and project:

  • Clear goals: Establish what the end product should look like. What deliverables are you responsible for?
  • Detailed guidelines: Learn the specifications and requirements for each individual project, task, or responsibilities assigned to you.
  • Specific timelines: What is the schedule of deliverables and final completion date?

STEP 2: Expect things will change. Every step of the way, discuss with your boss (or bosses):

  • What has changed and what course corrections do I need to make?
  • How do I need to adjust my resource plan?
  • How do I need to reprioritize my to-do list of concrete actions?
  • Has the checklist to ensure quality control changed as a result of this shift in priorities?
  • What priorities should I be focused on right now?
Bruce Tulgan
Bruce Tulgan is a best-selling author and CEO of RainmakerThinking, the management research, consulting, and training firm he founded in 1993. All of his work is based on 27 years of intensive workplace interviews and has been featured in thousands of news stories around the world. His newest book, “The Art of Being Indispensable at Work: Win Influence, Beat Overcommitment, and Get the Right Things Done” ( Harvard Business Review Press) is available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all major booksellers. Follow Tulgan on Twitter @BruceTulgan or visit his Website at: rainmakerthinking.com.