People get upset and express disappointment when their expectations are not met. Part of being an effective leader is consistently communicating and reinforcing your expectations as well as understanding the expectations of your employees, customers, and stakeholders.
Watch our blog this week as Wayne talks about the importance of setting expectations and the repercussions of failing to do so.
We’d like to hear your stories about expectation setting – or failing to do so – in your organization. Please share with us in the comments below.
P.S. – BOOTCAMP is back! Our newest cohort is scheduled from Oct 14-16 in Raleigh, NC. This could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to help develop your high potential rising construction leaders – and mitigate the risks of your long term business succession. Please contact Charlotte Kopp at ckopp@familybusinessinstitute.com for more information about the program and how to enroll.
Wayne, I know this wasn’t your intent of the message, but I first “heard” you say Lisa was organizing food for “6200” people, not 60-100. I was thinking to myself…oh my gosh that’s a big drop from 6200 down to 350. I thought the social distancing concerns of many people was the cause for the big drop…then I “re-heard” you and realized you originally said 60-100 people. HA!
Thanks as always for the informative posts. Your second comment about promotion or equity are HUGE. Recently experienced a situation in which two key managers left a business over this precise issue…and it wasn’t their perception…there were expectations shared but the pathway was not clear. They lost hope and went elsewhere. Now the issue at hand is to replace all that experience with new team members. As you know retaining talent is key to success, something this business has failed at miserably in the last three months.
Indeed, team members will make up their own truth if they don’t hear it from leadership. Gossip, drama, loss of trust, etc. then slips into the culture.
Best wishes!
Agree 100%, Jim. Thanks.
Wayne, ‘thanks’ for another important and insightful Blog. On the subject of the gossip and rumours that occur when we don’t communicate effectively with our teams, my expression is that, “Rumours are entertainment for the uninformed!”
When we had our big manufacturing operation in Toronto some years back, with over 1,800 employees, every time a supplier, international sales agent or customer toured our plant, the rumours would start, “The Cooper family is selling, out and these strange visitors are the new owners”.
The solution to this disruptive speculation was simple. Just inside the employee entrance, we installed a large bulletin board showing the days of the work week and the title, “Please Help Us Welcome This Week’s Visitors”. Then, under each day of the week we listed who the visitors would be and what their relationship was to our business.
Armed with this information, our employees smiled at, waved at and enthusiastically greeted our Sales Agent from Sweden, or a supplier from Japan, or whoever the visitor might be. We became known as the friendliest company in our industry…and the rumours stopped, on that subject, anyway!
Best regards…Donald Cooper.
Toronto, Canada.
Great story, Donald! Hope you’re doing well.