Raise Your Game by Raising Your Expectations
You get what you expect to get.
Expect success – you get it.
Expect failure – it comes your way.
As the very successful Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can, or if you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Expect to close the deal – done.
Expect great performance from your team – get it.
Expect to be successful and you will be successful.
No – it is not easy.
Expectation leads to doing, sharing and pushing.
It is hard work and requires consistency.
But the results are amazing.
Those who follow my stuff know I am a huge proponent of expectation in all my coaching work. When I hire a person, I lay out in detail my expectations of her/him and his/her expectations of me or the company we are hiring them for.
In writing.
Signed.
There is no room for “I thought.”
Everything is documented, so there are no gray areas.
Expectations require you to do 3 things to make them work.
Today, let’s take a look at them in a little detail.
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Define exactly what it means in writing and have all party’s signoff.
The expectations can also be your personal expectations of yourself, same commitment.
Document what you expect in detail.
Example:
If I hire a sales person.
Per day, week, month:
# of calls
# of appointments
# of closed deals
Revenue
How they should present themselves
Requirement In office/out of office
Meetings to attend and participate.
Reports that I expect and when.
Problem resolution process.
Etc.
If I hire a project manager:
Certain reports and time frame.
The way I expect them to communicate with me.
The results expected on these days.
Etc.
Leave no doubt.
Leave no room for “I thought.”
Clearly defined all the expectations.
It makes life so much easier and gets so much more done.
It avoids so many issues and meetings and problems.
The important key is this expectation process works both ways.
My expectations of you are critical, but also we need to define and document your expectation of me.
Do not forget this piece.
It is critical to the success of the process.
Example:
I expect you to get back to me the same day I call.
I expect proposals to be turned around by the team in 24 hours.
I expect you to be available for calls with a 24-hour notice or less.
I expect a computer that responses fast.
I expect a phone, an assistant, an office.
Make sure you keep asking and get all their expectations clearly defined.
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Monitor and reinforce accountability
Keep the players on the track at all times.
Monitor their progress.
Make corrections where they are needed to move forward.
Take action where it is needed.
When it comes to work ethic, I have talked about it for a long time. The question is always, “Can it be taught?”
I keep hearing it can, but I am not sure.
You can tell early if the new worker has work ethic.
Success may not come right away.
But work ethic never hesitates to be visible.
You can see it clearly in an employee from the very start and in everything they do.
I was checking the references on a salesperson hire the other day. When I talked to the reference, they could not stop talking about the amazing work ethic this potential employee had. Amazing, inspiring, total work ethics.
He was hired.
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Motivation – positive support
Key to success.
When they are doing well – let them know, pump them up.
“Just as I expected, great work.”
Make them feel like they are doing it.
When they struggle
Determine
Is it them?
Is it the system?
Is it the expectation?
Is it me?
Take the action required quickly to correct the situation and get back on path.
Make changes if you need to.
Terminate if you find you have to.
Always motive and inspire them.
Move on – stay on top.
This is not micromanagement, but it is leadership.
Remember the keys to great leadership.
Development of you.
Development of your team.
Leading your team to victory.
Expectation sets the road to winning.
This is what I do. I help you put the process together to win consistently.
If you want to learn more, connect with me.
Click here to set up a call on a date/time that works for you.