Page 178 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

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Expectations

on target. When employees know precisely what is expected,
they do not waste time guessing or going off-course. Giving clear
directions around a task has the same benefits as giving clear
driving instructions; they allow you to get where you’re going
directly with little ambiguity. Think of a time when you had
vague directions and wondered, “Was I supposed to turn there?”
It is a frustrating and time-wasting experience; giving unclear
instructions to your employees has the same impact.
By setting clear expectations with employees, you also help
team members prioritize their work so that resources and efforts
are properly apportioned. Have you ever had a supervisor pile
one task on top of another without distinguishing their relative
importance? This is more than simply frustrating; it leads to inef-
ficiency and poor-quality work because employees may end up
rushing important tasks—and this impacts others who may be
waiting on the work to be completed. To ensure that your people
are properly spending their most scarce resource—time—make
sure that their tasks are clearly prioritized and that they have the
tools necessary to successfully complete each task.
When expectations are clear, employees can be properly rec-
ognized and acknowledged for meeting and exceeding those
expectations. Just as important, those who do not meet goals can
be readily held accountable. High- performing employees become
highly demoralized when no distinction is made between their
contributions and those of poor performers. When expectations
and goals are vague, such as, “Just do your best,” it becomes much
more difficult for employees to know what to do and for super-
visors to evaluate employees fairly. In the world of performance
management, vague goals and expectations lead to all kinds of
difficulties.
Finally, setting clear expectations leads to employee satis-
faction and engagement. For example, newly hired employees