The Expectations Changed. Did You Tell Anyone?
Back in Week 24, we talked about setting clear standards. I shared something I have come to believe pretty strongly throughout my leadership career:
When performance breaks down, there are usually three places worth looking:
No standard exists.
The standard exists, but it is unclear.
The standard itself is wrong.
If you've been following along since Week 24, hopefully we've made some progress on number one...
We've defined what good looks like.
We've clarified priorities.
We've built ownership.
We've clarified who gets to make decisions.
We've encouraged learning and development.
We've led through change.
...That's a lot!
But all of that work creates an interesting leadership problem: The expectations we established earlier may not fit anymore.
And that's okay.
The problem isn't that expectations change. It is when our expectations change and we forget to tell anyone.
Standards and Expectations Aren't Exactly the Same
Before we go further, I want to make a small, yet important distinction.
I sometimes use standards and expectations interchangeably, and there is definitely overlap. But they aren't exactly the same.
A standard defines an acceptable level of performance or quality... What does good look like?
An expectation is broader... What do I need from you? How should you approach the work?
What should you prioritize?
What outcomes are you responsible for?
What behaviors matter here?
Standards can help make expectations measurable. Expectations provide the larger context for how someone should operate.
Both need ongoing maintenance because organizations are not static.
Expectations Have a Shelf Life
We sometimes treat expectation-setting like something that happens at the beginning.
New employee? Set expectations.
New project? Set expectations.
New year? Set expectations.
Check the box. Move on.
...But think about how much can change after that initial conversation.
Someone's role evolves. A new employee joins the team. Someone leaves and responsibilities shift. A priority changes. Funding changes. A process improves. Technology changes. A person develops new skills. The organization learns something. The environment around you changes.
...the list goes on.
Sometimes the expectation itself needs to change because the conditions that created it no longer exist.
Keep in mind, that's not inconsistency... that is leadership!
The danger comes when the leader adjusts the expectation internally without realizing the team is still operating under the old version.
The Expectation in Your Head Doesn't Count
I think leaders do this more than we realize (guilty as charged!).
We see the work every day. We are processing new information constantly. We may have conversations with senior leadership, customers, stakeholders, partners, or other departments that reshape our understanding of what needs to happen.
Our thinking evolves and eventually we start thinking: Why aren't they doing this? Why are they still spending so much time on that? I thought they knew this was more important.
But...did we tell them?
Maybe six months ago you told your team that responsiveness was the priority.
Now, because of workload, you actually need them to prioritize quality over speed.
That's a legitimate shift! ...But if you never explicitly reset the expectation, some well-intentioned employee may still be racing to respond as quickly as possible because that is what you told them good performance looked like.
Then we get frustrated with someone for successfully meeting an outdated expectation, but at the end of the day, that is not a performance problem... That is a leadership problem.
Watch for Expectation Drift
There is also another situation that happens over time... I think of it as expectation drift.
You establish an expectation clearly, and then reality happens... One exception gets made, or a new person joins and hears a slightly different version... Someone interprets the expectation differently... The team develops an informal workaround.... A temporary change sticks around longer than intended.
Six months later, everyone is operating a little differently and no one can pinpoint exactly when it happened.
No one necessarily did anything wrong. The expectation simply drifted, and this is precisely why expectation-setting cannot be a one-time leadership activity.
Expectations require ongoing maintenance.
Before You Correct the Person, Check the Expectation
This is where I think Week 39 becomes really practical:
When someone isn't meeting your expectations, our natural instinct is often to focus on the person.
Why aren't they doing this?
Why aren't they following through?
Why don't they understand?
Why do I have to keep reminding them?
Before you go there, stop.
Ask three questions:
Does a clear expectation actually exist?
Does this person understand it the same way I do?
Is this still the right expectation?
This exercise isn't meant to eliminate accountability. Sometimes the answer to all three questions is yes, and someone simply isn't meeting the expectation. That's when coaching and accountability become necessary.
...But sometimes you'll realize:
Oh.
I've never actually said that out loud.
Or:
I told them something different six months ago.
Or:
Actually...this process doesn't make sense anymore.
All of that is incredibly useful information.
Changing the Expectation Is Allowed
I think leaders sometimes worry that changing an expectation will make them look inconsistent, but consistency does not mean refusing to change your mind when circumstances change.
Exceptional leaders can say: "This used to be the expectation. Based on what we know now, we're changing it.”
Explain:
What is changing?
Why is it changing?
What does the new expectation look like?
When does it take effect?
What should people do differently as a result?
Don't make people reverse-engineer the new expectation from your frustration. Tell them.
Reinforcement Matters Too
Sometimes the expectation isn't wrong or unclear... People just need to hear it again and that is normal.
Leaders can become frustrated by repetition because we think:
We've already talked about this.
Yes.
...And you will probably talk about it again.
People are managing dozens of competing priorities. New employees join. Circumstances change. Habits creep in. Other messages compete for attention.
Reinforcement is not evidence that your original communication failed. Reinforcement is just a routine part of communication.
If something really matters, it should show up more than once.
In team meetings.
In one-on-ones.
In project conversations.
In how you recognize good work.
In how you make decisions.
In what you hold people accountable to.
People figure out what actually matters by watching what leaders consistently reinforce.
Ask the Team What They Think the Expectations Are
Instead of telling your team the expectations again, ask them.
“What do you think our top three priorities are right now?”
Or:
“What does success on this project look like to you?”
Or:
“What do you think I expect from you when this happens?”
...Then listen. You may discover that everyone is completely aligned. Fantastic!
And you may also discover five people operating from five slightly different versions of reality... Also fantastic. Genuinely... because now you know.
You can't clarify something you don't realize is unclear.
Clarity Is Never Finished
I think that's the biggest lesson I want to carry forward from Week 24... Setting clear expectations isn't something exceptional leaders did... It is something that exceptional leaders do.
Again and again.
They define.
They communicate.
They observe.
They reinforce.
They adjust.
They clarify.
And when circumstances change, they reset.
Over the last several weeks, we've talked about ownership, priorities, decision-making, learning, development, change, and energy.
Every one of those things can alter what we need from our people. So as we close out this quarter, it is worth returning to the expectations we established along the way and asking:
Are these still right?
Are they still clear?
Does everyone understand them the same way?
Have circumstances changed?
Have I changed my expectations without actually saying so?
Your people should never have to guess what good looks like, and they certainly shouldn't be held accountable for failing to meet an expectation they didn't know had changed.
Exceptional leaders don't just set expectations. They keep them current!
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