VIDEO: How to Be a Better Leader & Get Exactly What You Want
Do you struggle with inconsistencies in your team performance or deliverables? If so, you’re in the right place. I share my #1 tip for you to be a better leader AND get exactly what you want. In less than five minutes you can learn exactly what you can do today improve your team results.
1 Thing to Do to Be a Better Leader Today
Hi, my name is Diane Lam and I’m the founder of Everything Ally. I’ve been working with entrepreneurs for over 10 years now and I’m going to give you the number 1 tip on how to get exactly what you want and be a better leader today.
The one tip to becoming a better leader
The number one thing you can do to get what you want and be a better leader is simply to set expectations with your team and your business partners – that way, they know exactly what you want in your working relationship and you’re all on the same page from the beginning.
Now you might be thinking, “But we have a contract/agreement, why do I need to set expectations? And how does this make me a better leader?”
You won’t believe how many times I’ve heard the words “I thought they understood,” or “They gave me X when I obviously needed Y,” or “This isn’t what I thought it would look like.” Disconnects around performance requirements and deliverables happen ALL the time and on both sides. Setting expectations and then allowing the other party to reply and set a couple of expectations helps to resolve that.
Plus, there’s tons of research on how setting expectations improves team morale and increases productivity and engagement. When you remove the uncertainty for your team, they are free to focus on delivering excellent results.
- Also, when you remove the uncertainty for your team, you’ll find that – just like that – the likelihood of getting exactly what you want significantly increases.
- Then if you don’t get what you want, this gives you a way of measuring their performance and hold them accountable.
How do you set your expectations?
The first step is to simply outline your expectations. You can’t imagine the number of times I’ve come across entrepreneurs who don’t have a clear picture of what they want. They only know that their expectations haven’t been met.
Sit down for 10–15 mins to take care of this – no more than that. Your core expectations will be some of the first things to come to the surface. Think about a relationship you want to adjust and start outlining what you want and how you expect things to be done. This can be anything… ok not ANYTHING, let’s not get crazy here.
Here are a few sample areas you can build an expectation around:
- Deliverables: What do you expect the deliverables to look like (completion, quality level, etc.)?
- Performance: What do you expect in terms of performance, interaction, and collaboration?
- Timeline: When do you expect it (if there’s a timeline) and how quickly do you want a response?
- Communication: What do you expect in terms of communication? How do you expect them to communicate with you regularly, or in the event of something going wrong?
As you’re thinking about these areas and what you expect from them, please remember to…
- Be specific. “I expect you to perform well” is not a good expectation. It needs to be specific and measurable and objective so that there is no confusion or need for interpretation and so that you can hold them accountable.
Once you have your expectations outlined, you can roll it out to your existing team. It’s never too late to set your expectations. Or, the next time you bring someone or kick off a new project, I recommend reviewing expectations on the first day if possible, and definitely within their first week. This way they know what you’re expecting before digging into the work.
So do you do this with your team? Or have you neglected it? Are you going to do it moving forward?
Leave a comment and tell us about your experience with teams and setting expectations.
Until next time, this is Diane Lam from everything Ally – we’ve got your back.
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