Managing expectations can be a significant challenge for emerging leaders. Just managing your boss’ expectations can be difficult, but for new leaders, you will need to overlay this with the expectations of your colleagues and those you lead. Balancing all these expectations can be a juggling act. And it can be frustrating if you find yourself completing tasks you don’t think belong to you. Here’s how to make this easier by a process of clarification.
Clarify expectations: Let’s start with digging out your job description. If you can’t find your job description, ask your Human Resources Department for a copy. Now, carefully go through it and identify any unwritten tasks. You won’t find them in the job description, that’s because they aren’t written, but assumed. What tasks are you required to do (or you think are expected of you) that are not in this document? At the same time, make sure you can articulate what outcomes you are expected to produce. We will use this information later. So, just to be clear, we are trying to clarify not just:
- “What is expected of me?” (your job description), but also
- “What are the measureable outcomes I am expected to produce” (your outcome targets)
- And in addition, you will have a list of a few other tasks (the unwritten scripts) which you have identified are expected of you. These may be tasks that others have passed on to you or were historically part of the role (before you took up the position). But these tasks are not actually in your job description. Are they really yours?
With these three documents, it is time to have some clarifying conversations.
You will need to take a 360 degree approach to this. This includes some of the people you lead, your colleagues and your supervisor.
First, let’s check document #3, the invisible scripts. Approach a couple of the people you lead and check whether those tasks you think are yours . . . really are. So that means you’re going to need to have a non-defensive conversation with a curious posture. Perhaps learn about the history of your role. This is just an information gathering conversation.
Second, have the same conversation with a colleague not in your department. Again, try not to be defensive. You are just trying to gather information to see how some of these ‘unwritten script’ tasks happened to find their way to you.
Now, you’re ready for a conversation with your supervisor. Before we enter that conversation, let’s make sure you have done the first two tasks well and had time to reflect. Remember, this is the key to the caddying process . . . taking time to reflect, ponder and plan.
Next week we’ll set you up for the clarifying conversation with your supervisor.
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