June 22, 2025 • 18 mins
Having clear expectations can reduce the strife in your personal life and professional life by 50 percent as well as increase your performance. You do that by getting clear about the expectations you have with someone.
Clear expectations are rooted in seven fundamental steps:
Dream Dare Dazzle
Clear expectations are rooted in seven fundamental steps:
- Reafirm the Purpose
- Define Success
- Clarify Roles, Responsibilites and Time Frames
- Clarify Decision Making
- Schedule Status Updates
- Address The Issues
- Confirm Understanding and Agreement
Dream Dare Dazzle
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello again everyone, and welcome back once more. Last week
we were talking about trust and respect as a starter
for ten, knowing about the objectives and priorities of people that.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
We're wanting to persuade.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
And providing solutions that achieve others. This week, I'd like
to do a deeper dive about crafting clear expectations. As
you probably realize and have found yourself previously, having clear
expectations can reduce this strife and both your personal and
(00:52):
your professional life. I could be up to fifty percent
and increase moments. We do that by getting clear about
the expectations that you have with someone.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
It's the colleague, a friend of mine who had a
CEO client who led a multimillion dollar company and it
was a I think it was a financial institution, and
he was at a longer heads with the board regarding
(01:29):
the strategic direction, priorities, our expectations where the growth and
greater profitability would come from a market driven organization. And
this lead to more time, money and resources devoted to
(01:49):
marking to the key customers. If I've done that, if
they've done it really well, the financials would continue to
grow from the exist a positive place and just zooming
and hands from there. And the board, however, had an
(02:09):
expectation they'd be financial driven, a financial driven institution, and
the decisions would be rooted in the financials, and that
marketing needed to follow what the financials allowed. If you
can well imagine, these conflicting expectation required a really high
(02:33):
level of clarity regarding the fundamental expectations of each party
before they could agree in them in ways that built
trust and respect. When we learned of the situation that
the Seal felt disrespected, undervalued, and the Board likewise felt
(02:57):
hindered from doing their job, either of the previous trust
and respect questions mentioned last week would have rated each
other highly in any dimension. Really, for me, my research
has found that clear expectations are rooted in seven fundamental steps.
(03:24):
I'd like to take the opportunity of going through them
with you today. Summarizing Number one is reaffirm the purpose. Two,
define what successes.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Three clarify roles, responsibilities and the time frames.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Four clarified decision making. Five schedule regular status updates. Six,
address any issues that come up in seven. Confirm the
respect of understanding and agreement. Number one reaffirm the purpose.
(04:09):
I found that maybe you have as well. And almost
every frustrating situation you've experienced a boardrooms executive sweech. The
one fatal flaw is jumping to how a situation can
resolved before clarifying what why of the situation.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
We're particularly engineer, there's engineering organizations as well. It's all
about resolve the problem rather than defining it. A process
for establishing expectations that foster renovation, growth, and passion. Start
with the purpose of the team or the organization. When
(04:55):
you start a conversation.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
With our purposes to dramatically improve the quality of our leadership,
we're also dramatically increasing the quality of our business results.
You've answered the overarching context question what our purpose is. Yes,
(05:18):
you might get a wee bit kind of wrapped up
around the axle when it comes to how you accomplish
a purpose, but starting off with what the purpose is,
what it's about. Everyone is on the same we call
it the same hymn sheet. It's heading in the same
the same, the same carriage. Two define success. The definition
(05:47):
of success for your purpose and why it's going to
be beneficial enthuses hop, optimism and energy into the conversation.
Someone may know what the intended purpose is but until
the definition of success is clared for them in the visually,
(06:11):
that purpose will remain intellectual theoretical. For example, for leader
in your organization here is that you want to dramatically
increase the quality of the organization. Leadership and business results
(06:33):
should probably say ah yes to that. Theoretically it sounds
a great idea. The real power comes in how you
get that across. How you how you tell someone, each
person the benefits of achieving the purpose. Example, if we
(06:58):
were to achieve a purpose, we would achieve the falling One.
Leaders will have a clearer line of sight for career growth,
no longer view their careers as unpredictable and unmanageable. Two.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Leaders will have an accurate assessment a way they stand
at the moment, with specific successes to build on and
targeted challenges to address.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Three. Leaders will have professional development opportunities if they take
advantage or propel them to higher levels of both success
and satisfaction. It's all about empowerment of people really, going
from the board level, from the CEO right through to
(07:51):
the front line of operation, everyone has got an integrated
role all for them, part of the whole, part of
the success. Three clarify rule, responsibilities, time frames. Now the
(08:13):
specific roles, responsibilities and time frames. Each of these three
areas need to be crisp clear understood. For example, as
volunteer coordinator, you're in charge of volunteer recruitment, development, retention, scheduling,
and quality assurance responsibilities for this customer. For your customer
(08:38):
engagement project, my role will be to check in with
you to ensure you have the most available resources and
to see what I can do to help to support
you to be successful. Also, the kickout off of.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
The project is six months from to day, and you
have fifteen hours a week away from your current work.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
To spend on this. You've been asked to take on
this show because of your expertise in managing volunteers and
your success or if you remember the Capital campaign last year.
Dressing each area with more defined detail is required for
(09:27):
someone to say yes to you. Four Clarified decision making embedding.
This step is a recognition of decision making authority. If
a person is in powered is able to make decisions
UNI latterly or only after conferring with their boss. Trust
(09:53):
and respect their big big parts of this.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
If I trust, respect, you I've clearly said to you
your role, your budget, I could I may instruct you
to make a decision you'd deem best to accomplish your
purpose to make us all successful, and next time we
meet up, give me an update. You tell me what
(10:18):
you've decided. This delegation is so important. As a person
in a rose, a new worker with less experience, you
may ask for weekly status reports regardless of experience. Clarify
by using the following model. I found a five point
(10:45):
decision model is quite useful. One is as a senior leader,
I can and will make all of the decisions.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I don't have to ask questions, but you have to
tell you. Two. It's similar to one that expect I'll
consult with you, ask for your opinion, and then make
my decision. Three is a musical decision. Four means you'll
make a decision after conferring with me. Five means that
(11:19):
you can make a decision without conferring with me. If
you do this one step alone, any frustration you have
with expectation, I'll go down by It's having clarity a
what a person is empowered, what they have responsibility, who
(11:41):
does what and when in the decision making process. Five schedule.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
As we mentioned earlier in the previous one status updates.
Now this expansion is really rooted in.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Trust and respect. I have any uncertain about your talent,
skills or ability to stay on task, and we ask
for more frequent status updates. Likewise, you may also.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Want more frequent status updates if the project is a
mission critical project. In either case, knowing the frequency of
updates as well of what's expected. It's a status and
a status update, It's really crucial.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Works on both sides there. It's all about collaboration and partnership.
Let's check in once every two weeks. Lack specififity and
this death both parties can clarify, can clarify what a
status update looks like for them for someone for one person,
(12:53):
that may be percentage completed in high priority tax actual
to budget figures could be risks and challenges lessons learn.
What's also required is what format the check in will be.
Let'll be submitted in writing two days in advance, so
each person has time to digest information and come prepare
(13:18):
to ask questions. Be clear about what you want as
well as you can do to go give your time
to all your other priorities, you don't want something. And
in the UK here and our National Health Service, a
lot of the nursing staff are tied down with levels
(13:41):
and levels of bureaucracy, which is adversely impacting the time,
the FaceTime that they have with their patients. That that's
one of the key priorities. And it's the old classic
story of the bus driver saying to the inspector, I
(14:01):
would be in time.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
I would be in time if I.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Didn't have to stop and pick up the passengers.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
It's been clear about what your priorities are, what your purposes.
Number six, address the issues issues that go and resolve.
They really nick away at the road.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Trust and respect quickly. There like rust.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
It's essential for expectations to be meaningful and I believe
transformational without writing, without writing about this in detail, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Big procedures and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
It's it's trying to clarify that.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Getting the issues out. I've found the best way to
address issues to ask a question and open questions with curiosity.
For example, George, my understanding that we agreed to check
in them once every two weeks and you would have
(15:15):
your status update circulated two days in advance of her
imperson meeting, I didn't you receive your update? Can you
help me understand what's happened. You're probably going to hear
a reasonable explanation and can dust it and can discuss
(15:36):
it with George of what to do moving forward. If
you don't ask George, well, no, there's no consequences for
not circulating his report and would like to do the
same next time. The key is to recognize you're road
(15:59):
trust by not addressing the issues as they come up.
It's about consistency, setting boundaries, setting these expectations, and finally
seven confirm understanding and agreement.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
This is the last step, conferum with the other person.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
All of the.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Ones that we've mentioned before, you could say, based in
this conversation, let's just check in that we're bothing the
same page.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
What do you understand your.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Role, expectations and the light to be When you have
a clear summary.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
You'll only have one next step.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Understanding how to go about creating clear expectation is one thing.
The next thing is, as we said, we're sitting producers
around them so you can do what you promised to
the standard that you agreed to. If you do, you'll
have people more willing to say yes to your requests
(17:15):
and you'll have fewer interruptions to higher performance. Summarizing the
Siddon steps again, one, real theirm are purpose. Two define
what success looks like taste like. Three Clarify roles, responsibilities
(17:35):
and their respective time prairie frames. Four Clarify decision making,
who does what and when? Five schedule performance performance data updates.
Six Adress any issues if they come up, get it,
hit it head on, SidD and just classically confirm don't
(17:59):
have got clear run understanding in agreement. Next week we'll
talk about high impact communications and this This will help
you persuade others more powerfully, enhance your leadership, brand and reputation,
and you'll be seen as a strategic creator. A fun
(18:19):
going through the seven step process this week until next week.
All the best then buy now
Hello again everyone, and welcome back once more. Last week
we were talking about trust and respect as a starter
for ten, knowing about the objectives and priorities of people that.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
We're wanting to persuade.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
And providing solutions that achieve others. This week, I'd like
to do a deeper dive about crafting clear expectations. As
you probably realize and have found yourself previously, having clear
expectations can reduce this strife and both your personal and
(00:52):
your professional life. I could be up to fifty percent
and increase moments. We do that by getting clear about
the expectations that you have with someone.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
It's the colleague, a friend of mine who had a
CEO client who led a multimillion dollar company and it
was a I think it was a financial institution, and
he was at a longer heads with the board regarding
(01:29):
the strategic direction, priorities, our expectations where the growth and
greater profitability would come from a market driven organization. And
this lead to more time, money and resources devoted to
(01:49):
marking to the key customers. If I've done that, if
they've done it really well, the financials would continue to
grow from the exist a positive place and just zooming
and hands from there. And the board, however, had an
(02:09):
expectation they'd be financial driven, a financial driven institution, and
the decisions would be rooted in the financials, and that
marketing needed to follow what the financials allowed. If you
can well imagine, these conflicting expectation required a really high
(02:33):
level of clarity regarding the fundamental expectations of each party
before they could agree in them in ways that built
trust and respect. When we learned of the situation that
the Seal felt disrespected, undervalued, and the Board likewise felt
(02:57):
hindered from doing their job, either of the previous trust
and respect questions mentioned last week would have rated each
other highly in any dimension. Really, for me, my research
has found that clear expectations are rooted in seven fundamental steps.
(03:24):
I'd like to take the opportunity of going through them
with you today. Summarizing Number one is reaffirm the purpose. Two,
define what successes.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Three clarify roles, responsibilities and the time frames.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Four clarified decision making. Five schedule regular status updates. Six,
address any issues that come up in seven. Confirm the
respect of understanding and agreement. Number one reaffirm the purpose.
(04:09):
I found that maybe you have as well. And almost
every frustrating situation you've experienced a boardrooms executive sweech. The
one fatal flaw is jumping to how a situation can
resolved before clarifying what why of the situation.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
We're particularly engineer, there's engineering organizations as well. It's all
about resolve the problem rather than defining it. A process
for establishing expectations that foster renovation, growth, and passion. Start
with the purpose of the team or the organization. When
(04:55):
you start a conversation.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
With our purposes to dramatically improve the quality of our leadership,
we're also dramatically increasing the quality of our business results.
You've answered the overarching context question what our purpose is. Yes,
(05:18):
you might get a wee bit kind of wrapped up
around the axle when it comes to how you accomplish
a purpose, but starting off with what the purpose is,
what it's about. Everyone is on the same we call
it the same hymn sheet. It's heading in the same
the same, the same carriage. Two define success. The definition
(05:47):
of success for your purpose and why it's going to
be beneficial enthuses hop, optimism and energy into the conversation.
Someone may know what the intended purpose is but until
the definition of success is clared for them in the visually,
(06:11):
that purpose will remain intellectual theoretical. For example, for leader
in your organization here is that you want to dramatically
increase the quality of the organization. Leadership and business results
(06:33):
should probably say ah yes to that. Theoretically it sounds
a great idea. The real power comes in how you
get that across. How you how you tell someone, each
person the benefits of achieving the purpose. Example, if we
(06:58):
were to achieve a purpose, we would achieve the falling One.
Leaders will have a clearer line of sight for career growth,
no longer view their careers as unpredictable and unmanageable. Two.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Leaders will have an accurate assessment a way they stand
at the moment, with specific successes to build on and
targeted challenges to address.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Three. Leaders will have professional development opportunities if they take
advantage or propel them to higher levels of both success
and satisfaction. It's all about empowerment of people really, going
from the board level, from the CEO right through to
(07:51):
the front line of operation, everyone has got an integrated
role all for them, part of the whole, part of
the success. Three clarify rule, responsibilities, time frames. Now the
(08:13):
specific roles, responsibilities and time frames. Each of these three
areas need to be crisp clear understood. For example, as
volunteer coordinator, you're in charge of volunteer recruitment, development, retention, scheduling,
and quality assurance responsibilities for this customer. For your customer
(08:38):
engagement project, my role will be to check in with
you to ensure you have the most available resources and
to see what I can do to help to support
you to be successful. Also, the kickout off of.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
The project is six months from to day, and you
have fifteen hours a week away from your current work.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
To spend on this. You've been asked to take on
this show because of your expertise in managing volunteers and
your success or if you remember the Capital campaign last year.
Dressing each area with more defined detail is required for
(09:27):
someone to say yes to you. Four Clarified decision making embedding.
This step is a recognition of decision making authority. If
a person is in powered is able to make decisions
UNI latterly or only after conferring with their boss. Trust
(09:53):
and respect their big big parts of this.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
If I trust, respect, you I've clearly said to you
your role, your budget, I could I may instruct you
to make a decision you'd deem best to accomplish your
purpose to make us all successful, and next time we
meet up, give me an update. You tell me what
(10:18):
you've decided. This delegation is so important. As a person
in a rose, a new worker with less experience, you
may ask for weekly status reports regardless of experience. Clarify
by using the following model. I found a five point
(10:45):
decision model is quite useful. One is as a senior leader,
I can and will make all of the decisions.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I don't have to ask questions, but you have to
tell you. Two. It's similar to one that expect I'll
consult with you, ask for your opinion, and then make
my decision. Three is a musical decision. Four means you'll
make a decision after conferring with me. Five means that
(11:19):
you can make a decision without conferring with me. If
you do this one step alone, any frustration you have
with expectation, I'll go down by It's having clarity a
what a person is empowered, what they have responsibility, who
(11:41):
does what and when in the decision making process. Five schedule.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
As we mentioned earlier in the previous one status updates.
Now this expansion is really rooted in.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Trust and respect. I have any uncertain about your talent,
skills or ability to stay on task, and we ask
for more frequent status updates. Likewise, you may also.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Want more frequent status updates if the project is a
mission critical project. In either case, knowing the frequency of
updates as well of what's expected. It's a status and
a status update, It's really crucial.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Works on both sides there. It's all about collaboration and partnership.
Let's check in once every two weeks. Lack specififity and
this death both parties can clarify, can clarify what a
status update looks like for them for someone for one person,
(12:53):
that may be percentage completed in high priority tax actual
to budget figures could be risks and challenges lessons learn.
What's also required is what format the check in will be.
Let'll be submitted in writing two days in advance, so
each person has time to digest information and come prepare
(13:18):
to ask questions. Be clear about what you want as
well as you can do to go give your time
to all your other priorities, you don't want something. And
in the UK here and our National Health Service, a
lot of the nursing staff are tied down with levels
(13:41):
and levels of bureaucracy, which is adversely impacting the time,
the FaceTime that they have with their patients. That that's
one of the key priorities. And it's the old classic
story of the bus driver saying to the inspector, I
(14:01):
would be in time.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
I would be in time if I.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Didn't have to stop and pick up the passengers.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
It's been clear about what your priorities are, what your purposes.
Number six, address the issues issues that go and resolve.
They really nick away at the road.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Trust and respect quickly. There like rust.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
It's essential for expectations to be meaningful and I believe
transformational without writing, without writing about this in detail, you know.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Big procedures and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
It's it's trying to clarify that.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Getting the issues out. I've found the best way to
address issues to ask a question and open questions with curiosity.
For example, George, my understanding that we agreed to check
in them once every two weeks and you would have
(15:15):
your status update circulated two days in advance of her
imperson meeting, I didn't you receive your update? Can you
help me understand what's happened. You're probably going to hear
a reasonable explanation and can dust it and can discuss
(15:36):
it with George of what to do moving forward. If
you don't ask George, well, no, there's no consequences for
not circulating his report and would like to do the
same next time. The key is to recognize you're road
(15:59):
trust by not addressing the issues as they come up.
It's about consistency, setting boundaries, setting these expectations, and finally
seven confirm understanding and agreement.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
This is the last step, conferum with the other person.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
All of the.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Ones that we've mentioned before, you could say, based in
this conversation, let's just check in that we're bothing the
same page.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
What do you understand your.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Role, expectations and the light to be When you have
a clear summary.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
You'll only have one next step.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Understanding how to go about creating clear expectation is one thing.
The next thing is, as we said, we're sitting producers
around them so you can do what you promised to
the standard that you agreed to. If you do, you'll
have people more willing to say yes to your requests
(17:15):
and you'll have fewer interruptions to higher performance. Summarizing the
Siddon steps again, one, real theirm are purpose. Two define
what success looks like taste like. Three Clarify roles, responsibilities
(17:35):
and their respective time prairie frames. Four Clarify decision making,
who does what and when? Five schedule performance performance data updates.
Six Adress any issues if they come up, get it,
hit it head on, SidD and just classically confirm don't
(17:59):
have got clear run understanding in agreement. Next week we'll
talk about high impact communications and this This will help
you persuade others more powerfully, enhance your leadership, brand and reputation,
and you'll be seen as a strategic creator. A fun
(18:19):
going through the seven step process this week until next week.
All the best then buy now
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