10 steps to setting expectations as a manager (hint, all about communication)
Ok, I’ll admit it, I fell into the classic trap of saying “I won’t write a blog this week” and suddenly one week turned into three. Thankfully, I’m back on the wagon and writing again 🎉 Thanks for the 1400 subscribers for bearing with me, and for the new folks, I’m Matt, founder of People Collective and sometime facetious yet practical blog writer.
This week, I’ve been inspired by some conversations with folks like REBECCA IRVING and Donna Scarola around the importance of setting expectations as a manager and a leader, particularly in startups, and even more so in tough times.
So let’s crack on…
We’ve all been there… that discussion with your manager about those goals that you definitely all agreed on at sometime last year, or at least one of you thought so, and quite frankly it’s 50/50 as to who… but was it your fault or your manager?
Or that feeling late on a Friday night when your manager is sending you a last minute message about work. Do you do it, do you ignore it, will you get fired?
As you can tell from these examples, as a manager, its SO important to establish clear expectations for your team (not just goals), to ensure that everyone is working towards the same thing and that individual performance is aligned with the broader vision and goals of the organization.
As per usual, I will outline 10 steps to help you set expectations as a manager, and provide real-world examples for each one.
1: Communicate early, clearly and often
Effective communication is the absolute key to setting expectations. Actually, if managers, leaders, employees, founders etc nailed comms, I would be out of a job. But we’re a long way off that 😅
But it’s not rocket science — just make sure to clearly and effectively communicate your expectations to your team. For example, if you expect your team to be on time for meetings, make sure that you explicitly communicate this expectation to them (and live by example).
But it’s not just the small things, it’s also the flows of communication across the business, make sure you know those flows and that you’re adapting your approach accordingly, as a manager and a company.
Real-world example: Set the expectation to everyone that you should be in the meeting or zoom room 2 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. Don’t be weird about it, just be clear what you need. Or if you don’t have the budget to give everyone payrises in the current environment, just tell them!
2: Connect the company vision to everyone’s day-to-day work
Linking your team’s day-to-day work to the larger vision of the organization helps them understand how their work fits into the bigger picture. Sounds simple enough right? At Meta, your biggest impact in six months might be changing the colour of a button (ok, i’m being facetious here) but in a startup, you should expect to be able to see how what you do impacts the growth of the business.
The trouble is, most founders, leaders and managers we come across really struggle with this. They hold everything in, when they should be sharing widely. So you have to open up — as a leader and a manager, make sure you can help tell that story to connect the dots for folks.
Real-world example: Discuss with your team how their individual work contributes to the larger goals of the organization — ask them if they can see that connection. For instance, if the organization’s mission is to provide top-notch customer service, explain (with some examples) how each team member’s role contributes to providing exceptional customer service.
3: Establish clear goals
So I don’t care if you use OKRs, SMART goals, or any other form of goal setting. Frankly, the main thing is: Keep it simple, stupid (oh, and aligned)
Setting goals that are aligned with the overall goals of the organization helps individuals understand what is expected of them and how their performance will be evaluated. What’s not to like!
Real-world example: For a customer service team, establish a goal for each team member to maintain a satisfaction score of at least 90% in their customer interactions, because as a business, it’s critical for you to rely on word of mouth for growth. Goal -> connection, done.
4: Set timelines and deadlines
It’s soooo easy to say “I’ll just do this tomorrow” I mean, look at this blog… Deadlines help keep everyone on track and ensure that tasks are completed in a timely manner. It’s ok to set them with your team — and cheat tip — ask them how long it will take for something to get done and why. Get
Real-world example: For a marketing campaign, set a deadline for each task that needs to be completed and make sure that team members are aware of these deadlines.
5: Establish realistic performance metrics
We’re not working in a Victorian mill here, and unless my blog is reaching a culture where 9–9–6 working is common, then most of what i’m saying should make sense. Again, feel like i’m teaching people to suck eggs here, but measuring performance against specific metrics is important in determining whether goals are being met or not. Did the thing get done, and done well?
Point to note here — your company values and approach will come into this. As will your own as a manager and you’ll have to blend them.
For example, at People Collective I tell the team that “Done well is better than perfect” because we need a blend of speed and quality for our clients.
Additionally, REBECCA IRVING on my team has higher expectations quality wise than me — but we both balance those between company, client and person. She has her own values as do i, but we make them work in harmony with the company approach.
Real-world example: Establish a metric for customer service response time, and hold team members accountable for meeting that metric — but do also recognise those who are exceeding it!
6: Provide feedback
Duh! Feedback is important in helping individuals understand where they stand in terms of meeting expectations and can help them course-correct as needed.
Be transparent and open as possible with feedback to help folks grow. Ask people “What would you do differently next time” or say “I don’t think this was at the level I know you set yourself, what do you think?”
However — do bear in mind sometimes you might have not been clear enough on expectations.
Real-world example: Regularly provide feedback to team members about their performance, both positive and constructive. For instance, praise a team member publicly for a job well done, and also provide constructive feedback in private on areas that need improvement. Ask them what they would like to improve.
7: Encourage open communication
Creating an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and feedback is important in ensuring that everyone is working towards the same goals. Quite simply:
“The required amount of communication is inversely proportional to the level of trust” Ben Horowitz
Real-world example: Encourage team members to share their thoughts and ideas during meetings, and provide an open-door policy for anyone who wants to discuss any concerns or ideas with you.
8: Know your team and help them know you
Sounds a bit fluffy and hand wavy, but it’s one of the best things I’ve done at PC, because I know so much more about my team’s ways of working, communication etc, and they know mine. It means we all now intuitively know how to approach challenges and work together.
One thing I do hate though is when managers just do this for themselves. Get your team on it too people!
Real-world example: Put a simple user guide together in Notion and get your team to fill in theirs in a table — knowing each other will make your lives so much easier.
9: Tell stories
You have to paint a picture to your team, not just tell them what’s expected of them. They need to understand “why”. The context for what / how they do the things they do, and explaining with some personal insights can go a lot further.
Learning to tell stories, connect dots and helping your team understand the reasons for doing things a certain way gets you all moving in the same direction.
Real-world example: Don’t just tell your customer service team that they have to hit a certain quality metric. Explain why the business is winning based on referrals for growth — connecting the value of the CS team’s work to this, showing them that they are an incredibly important cog — and celebrating that externally is critical.
10: Celebrate successes
Celebrating successes, no matter how small, helps to reinforce positive vibes and encourages individuals to continue meeting expectations. Yes, I just said vibes but i’m getting to the end of this blog and if you’re still reading, thanks for tolerating.
Real-world example: Recognise and celebrate team members who exceed expectations — and do it publicly!
Thank you all for reading — if you want to build a manager accelerator programme for your business — check out our one pager:
