How I Learned the Secret to Better Results the Hard Way
Before I share this secret to getting better results, I’d like you to think back to your senior year in high school. Do you remember being really sensitive to all the “lasts?”
The last big game. The last show you were in. Or, the last summer night before you and your friends all went their separate ways?
Well, it was my son Ben’s last marching band game of the season his senior year in high school, and he had invited me to come to take pictures—which is a great job for me. I love my son. I’m feeling all the mom feels of a kid getting ready to graduate and go off to school. And, I love photography. I’m highly motivated to do a great job.
No one needs to convince me to get better results. I’m on it.
So I’m pulling into the stadium and I can hear the cadence of the marching band coming around the track …
Actually, I think this story will be more fun if I tell it to you this way:
Communicating Clear Expectations is Not Micro-Managing, It’s Empowering
If you want to empower your team to find more creative ways to get better results, start by defining success.
My guess is you don’t need more ideas of what needs to be accomplished. You’ve already got a long list of the most important things.
You know your “guitar.” But what you DO NEED is for your team to share their ideas of how to get there faster with better quality.
One of the biggest mistakes we see well-intentioned human-centered leaders make is to under-communicate their expectations. They assume their team SHOULD know what matters most and why. They could get better results if they were more clear about what matters most.
One good conversation about expectations not only prevents fourteen “Why didn’t you?” conversations, it also reduces ambiguity and frees up time and energy for more creative solutions.
Your turn. What’s your best secret for encouraging better results?
Additional Resources to Get Better at Setting Clear Expectations
How to Reset Performance Expectations For Better Results
Check for Understanding: A Leadership Communication Best Practice
Leadership Skills: 6 Competencies You Can’t Lead Without
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