Performance Expectations-Part Two

How do you get from a state of chaos to one of high performance?  You do this through the correct use of performance expectations.  This involves establishment and monitoring of expectations.

Careful establishment of expectations is important.  If just pulled from the air, people will know there is no connection between the goal and your expectations.  Set too rigidly, expectations will not be met and people may feel discouraged.  Employee engagement will be decreased.

As an effective leader, you want to check the “non-negotiables” you have.   These are foundational expectations, laying the footings for the building of high performance teams.  They are basic expectations that are almost “unwritten and just understood”.  Examples can be “treat others with respect”, “report dangerous conditions or actions”, “share team roles”, “participate in team problem solving actions”.  Non-negotiables improve the stability of a company.  When these expectations are automatically met, employees’ efforts can be directed toward specific expectations you set that require discipline and drive people to greater performance.

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Performance Expectations

RESULTS!

One of the ways a leader demonstrates competence is through the achievement of results.  In his book Leading at the Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey says that credibility is composed of four cores:  integrity and intent (part of “character”); capabilities and results (part of “competence”).

Achievement of results is one of the cores of competence, which is part of credibility, which provides the foundation for trust.  Without trust, a leader is just taking a walk.  There are no followers.

So to improve leadership skills and the influence you have on people, check your “results record”.  What are your “numbers”?  What outcomes have you achieved through people?

Notice that I said “achieved through people”.  Good leaders achieve results through people.   Leaders don’t meet that production deadline all by themselves.  Leaders don’t develop a new program which nets hundreds of thousands of dollars all by themselves.

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