Encouraging others to meet their own expectations – rather than yours
April 2nd, 2007
At first, this may seem like a strange idea to business leaders. I can hear some of you saying, “How can I NOT try to motivate others toward MY expectations? Isnt’ that what leadership and management is about?” The answer comes to us in books like Good to Great, The Seven Day Weekend, and The 8th Habit: if you plug the right people into the right goals, they will very often exceed your expectations, and not need as much (if any) management. This results in more time for managers to strategize and facilitate the execution of these strategies, rather than constantly putting out fires related to poorly motivated employees.
Identifying and utilizing all of your employees’ potential takes some up front time, but pays off in huge dividends over the weeks, months, and years. This doesn’t mean you have to move away from clarifying your expectations to your team; indeed, a “Fully Functioning Leader” constantly clarifies his or her expectations – then helps employees choose where to spend their energy within those areas based on their abilities and interests. Of course, Fully Functioning Employees must then execute – or be better trained regarding how to select their goals in the future.
A final note on this topic: it may be that allowing employees to create their own expectations (rather than simply trying to live up to their leaders’) could better fit your some of your clients’ needs anyway. The Fully Functioning Leader knows that he or she does not know everything, and it may be that certain employees can better assess the expectations of the customer!
Click here to read more about Fully Functioning Organizations
Article Filed under: I. WATER (Team/Group Excellence)
2 Comments Add your own
1. Jonathan Branch | November 20th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
It is great to encourage employees or other co-workers to go after there own goals instead of goals the adviser sets out for them. There are three different areas I find that are important to asses when picking goals. When I pick a goal I find first of all something I am passionate about. If I am working on a project I don’t care about or am not excited about then I am going to be less motivated to do the goal. Second finding something I am excellent at. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Finding what my strengths and weaknesses allow me to examine in what way I can better impact my team. Third finding a goal that is needed. If I am a boxer and I can kick very well, then my skill as a kicker is not needed to be a good boxer. Finding things that I am passionate about, excellent at, and is needed is a good way to find out how I can best impact my team, and what goals I should take on or create.
2. Excellence Tree Journal &&hellip | February 20th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
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