Employees, family members
and partners quizzed about business complications often offer up the same
phrase: “We didn’t fully understand what was expected of us!”
It is easy enough to point
the finger of blame toward an owner, manager or supervisor – “He didn’t tell me
it was important” or “I didn’t know that mattered so much.” Likewise, a
supervisor or manager may say the same about the workers – “I don’t understand
why they didn’t know what to do!”
Where did the breakdown
occur? That is the million dollar question when trouble arises. More often than
not, communicating expectations is at the center of the puzzle.
Many business
owners/entrepreneurs create job descriptions with a list of expectations. The
employee may see the job description at the time of the interview and perhaps
again as she begins the job, but a sentence on a piece of paper does not always
translate into viable solutions. Even if a supervisor goes over each written
detail, how does she know the employee truly understands what each means and
how to put it into action?
One definition of
expectation is “a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in
the future.” Owners commit expectations to paper when writing a mission or
vision statement for their business plans. Expectations are what they dedicate
their business to achieve at present and in the future. These statements and
beliefs reflect what they feel they can accomplish with the talent and
resources at hand. While personal to a singular owner or family group,
expectations for a successful operation must be a part of everyone who works
for or with that particular operation. Now come the most important factors in
following that path – communicating those expectations to each and every
connected person and group, and making certain they are fully understood and
implemented.
Perhaps you started work
wondering exactly what to do or how to do it and were reassured with something
like “Once you are on the job you will understand.” Bewildered, you walked away
hoping it would become crystal clear sooner or later. Or, as a busy manager,
you expect the employee to comprehend what to do, because it is vitally clear
to you.
Communication is a two-way
street. Managers must clearly communicate to employees and employees must be
able to reiterate back their understanding of the expectation. A road block in
either direction often launches problems from the start.
This reciprocal
communication eases tension and sets up pathways for overall business success. It
can be as simple as an owner saying to an employee “Harvest will begin tomorrow
at 7 a.m. We are expecting you to have the tractor prepped and fueled and at
the field by that time.” Instead of asking the employee if she understands and
anticipating a yes or no answer, a manager can ask the employee to repeat the
expectation and follow-up with any questions or concerns. At that point, an
employee may ask, “What do you mean by ‘prepped’? Which end of the field do you
mean?” At that point, the manager may realize, “Hey, I didn’t make myself
entirely clear!”
Employees need to know
they work in an environment where questions, however elementary, are okay to
ask. Employers need to know that workers are ready for the job and are
responsible enough to succeed at the task. All of this comes back to clear and
concise communication that flows without barriers throughout an organization.
As a manager, owner or
supervisor, you know how you want your business to operate and how that can
best be accomplished. Communicating your expectation to others is vital to
making it a reality. Expectations are built on strong beliefs of what will
happen now and in the future. The goal then is for every person connected to
your operation to understand and implement what is expected of them in a
cooperative and cohesive environment.
The above information is presented for educational
purposes and should not be substituted for professional business or legal
counseling.
