Have You Noticed There's an "Expect" in Expectations?

I received an unexpected email last week from a past employee who had worked on my team decades ago. And, while hearing a friendly, familiar voice from the past can be very special—as well as a delightful surprise—what made this email a very positive highlight to my week was the message it contained. In his email, André described (with surprising detail given the amount of time that had transpired) the start-of-the-day "approach" I had used that had inspired him during the time we worked together and—to the purpose of his email—had helped him achieve some great successes in his career.

To understand the context here, you'll need the back-story. For as far back as I can remember, the mornings with my individual team members started in the same way [insert friendly, cajoling-type voice here]:

"Hey, Ben, how are you?" His response? "Good." My response? "Good? When are you going to be GREAT? Our customers deserve some great today!"

"Good morning, Jane, how are you doing?" Her response? "Good." My response? "Good? When are you going to be GREAT? Our clients deserve some great today!"

Yes, I can be annoying at times ...

However, while acknowledging the likelihood that I did 'annoy' a few on my team over the years, this consistent approach—delivered in a fun and playful way—set the tone for the team because they KNEW—without any doubt—what my behavioral expectations were for the day. And every subsequent interaction during the day supported that expectation. The 'behavioral bar' was set at a level that assured our valuable customers/clients received great ... not just good. Thomas Fuller (17th Century historian) said it best: "Good is not good, when better is expected."

Now, we all have different personalities and styles so this exact approach may not be 'you' but that doesn't mean you couldn't find your OWN way of positioning behavioral expectation statements that positively impact your team. As a case in point, André's email described how my approach "influenced" (his word) his approach to setting positive behavioral expectations when he became a manager.

Before we venture any further into this topic, we need to acknowledge that expectations fall into two main areas: 1) 'Performance' expectations that address the results and outcomes that need to be achieved; and 2) 'Behavioral' expectations that encompass the expected values, behaviors, activities, and attitudes that are required/expected in the role.

As it pertains to Performance Expectations, in the contemporary workplace there's been a distinct shift away from individual goal-setting to the much more manageable expectations-setting. This more-fluid adaptation lets managers adjust goals based on the macro needs of the business and results in a more flexible and engaging working relationship with employees. That's a great thing ...

However, while Performance Expectations have been refined and are delivering better outcomes, my experiences inside client organizations suggest that Behavioral Expectations are still one of the more poorly practiced aspects of leadership. What is most concerning is Behavioral Expectations are, arguably, the most important aspect here because HOW someone functions (behaves) to deliver on the Performance Expectations is paramount and should be a top priority for anyone who manages/leads people.

High Value Activity (HVA) Action Steps

This week, starting today, look for any opportunity to insert Behavioral Expectations into the thought processes of your employees. Use the HVAs listed below to help you in this journey:

• Paint a Picture of What 'Great' Looks Like: In your team meetings, allocate time—when possible (acknowledging that consistency makes all the difference!)—for a 'behavioral' discussion as it relates to the work done by the team. I use a discussion-starter of "When was the last time you experienced above-and-beyond customer service? Describe what occurred that made it so memorable." This gets the team engaged in discussions that, typically, center around the behavioral nuances that make the difference between mediocre and great service. Then, bring it home by asking, "How do WE want to be seen by OUR customers [internal or external] and others as we do our work?" Why this works so well is the initial discussion the team had about excellent customer service gives them myriad examples to discuss as it pertains to their own work.
• Looking Good versus Being Good: There's a big difference between the activities and behaviors that will make someone "look good" on paper (e.g., Sales Revenue; Number of Calls Answered/Made) versus the activities and behaviors necessary to go above and beyond and "be good" (or, should I say, "Be Great"). If someone is simply focused on "looking good" then the focus is on the result, not on the "how" to get the result. A good example of this are what I refer to as 'Sandpaper People' ... people who might get results but in doing so they "rub" people the wrong way so no one wants to work with them or have them on their team. This is where you, as manager/coach, need to be able to step back from results and make sure that reinforcement is commensurate with the activities and behaviors that you desire. The mistake frequently made is reinforcing the result only which can inadvertently reinforce inappropriate or misaligned behaviors. Make sure that every conversation around goals can be shaped around how the employee can best achieve the desired outcome, empowering him or her to take ownership of the "how."