When you are in a middle to senior manager role, there are a lot of expectations that you are required to manage in order to get the right results. You manage the expectations of your team; your peers that work alongside you & the senior management that you report into. We also have people in our personal life that may have expectations of us depending on the different roles we play outside of work as well – our partners; children; siblings; parents; friends. We don’t always consider that we have our own expectations we put on ourselves that we are also aiming to manage.
Managing Your Team’s Expectations:
For all these different expectations, we want to make sure the people that we have expectations of & the people who have expectations of us, all understand the expectations. Does your team understand what they as a team are aiming to deliver? Are you communicating these results to them? If your team doesn’t know the results that are expected of them then they don’t know if they are making the right decisions on a day to day basis & if they are doing the right things to get the right results. Being very clear with your team about the results they are expected to deliver is crucial when managing a team.
Have you communicated what results your team are expected to deliver?
“Have you communicated what results your team are expected to deliver?” Click To TweetManaging Your Senior Management’s Expectations:
Have you discussed the results you have communicated to your team with your senior management? When you deliver the results is this what your senior managers are expecting you to deliver? It is your responsibility as a manager to check with your own management that you have understood their expectations & to ensure that they don’t have different expectations than what you have outlined to your team. Have you had the conversations with senior managers about what you & your team are going to deliver to ensure this is in line with what they are expecting?
What I have seen in some teams is that targets are set and are then constantly moving as soon as the target is within reach. If this is the case in your company, be clear on the reasons why this is happening & what that means for the team – manage the expectations with your team that the target may change & that this will be communicated to them.
Managing Others Expectations:
Consider other expectations within the organisation that you are required to manage. Are there other departments or people that you link in with that help you to deliver results or that you help to deliver results? How can others around you help to deliver the results? Are you talking to the right people & outlining the support you need from them or the support that you will give to them.
Have you got agreement from them about the results you are delivering & what you are not going to deliver or about how you are going to work together.
If you are experiencing conflict within your team or with other areas of the organisation, check whether you are managing the expectations of those around you in the right way.
Email info@amaresults.com if you want more information on how we can support you with team communications.
