A CEO frustrated with his board.
A Board frustrated with its CEO.
A Partner frustrated with his partner.
A Partner frustrated with HIS partner.
A CEO frustrated with her COO.
A COO frustrated with his CEO.
Boy, I run across these scenarios too often. I use the word “frustrated” because it represents the middle ground between “I want to have a future with this person” and “I’ve had it with this person.” We want to continue working with them, but doing so is . . . well . . . frustrating.
I’ve learned the Leader who is frustrated probably bears some of the responsibility for being so.
The antidote is another word: “expectations.”
Expectation: the Latin roots are “ex” (out) + “spectare” (to look at). To look out at.
Reminds me of that important Leadership word – “vision.” My “expectations” of you are tied to my “vision” of how and what and when I expect you to perform. When you don’t perform as I expect, I get frustrated with you. But here is the test:
Have I communicated my vision/expectations to you? Do you understand them the way I understand them? Are we on the same page? How do WE know?
So, think of expectation of an individual as a personal vision statement for that person. Consider these steps:
1. Communicate clear expectations. Ram Charan, in Execution, says, “Along with having clear goals, you should strive for simplicity in general. One thing you’ll notice about leaders who execute is that they speak simply and directly. They talk plainly and forthrightly about what’s on their minds. They know how to simplify things so that others can understand them, evaluate them, and act on them . . . .”
CEO Handicap: Not being clear in their own minds as to what they want from the individual.
2. Confirm through feedback. Have a dialogue to be sure all of what you are saying is being heard. This can be as elementary as the “What I hear you saying is . . .” technique, or more subtle in the form of “draft a plan for this in your own words and let’s review it together.” Figure out some means of confirming feedback.
CEO Handicap: Not taking the time to confirm alignment.
3. Inspect for follow through. Hold accountable. One of my favorite sayings from my Army officer days: “If you don’t inspect, don’t expect.” A.G. Lafley, Proctor & Gamble’s CEO, who some have described in the past as ‘Mr.-Rogers-like,’ says, “I have high standards and high expectations, and I expect everybody to be as committed as I am. . . . I hold people accountable.[i]”
CEO Handicap: Not having the difficult conversations early enough to communicate the individual isn’t meeting expectations.
4. Monitor and give feedback. Your followers have the right to know what you expect from them. And they crave feedback. Few employees willingly desire to do shoddy work. They want feedback to know if their effort is being expended in the right direction. And if they are doing a great job, they love the praise.
CEO Handicap: Failing to maintain ongoing channels of communication that insure everyone is aligned with expectations.
Are you having a frustrating time with someone you depend on to get things done? If so, I’d be interested in having a conversation to help you think through solutions. Give me a call.
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Here’s a book that taught me some new things. Maybe it will be of interest to you . . .
Meatball Sundae, Seth Godin. Making sense of all the new options in online marketing (blogs, videos, social media, search ads) for your company. Identifies 14 trends shifting the marketing landscape right now.
[i] USA Today, February 19, 2007, p. 3b, Del Jones, Reporter