Setting Expectations

I am an Engineer by education. And whilst I have stated in one of my earlier posts that I did not enjoy the subject much, in many ways it has shaped my thinking. More left brain. More structured. 'Square' as a few who knows me inside out would describe.

My grandma on my graduation (me so nerdy!)

We were cool from back then :P

But the non interest in engineering as a subject has also seeded my passion for marketing. The right brain stuff. Not the extreme right but enough to appreciate the right brain thinking and ideas. And a related area that interests me in particular is sociology, the understanding of human behaviour. Malcolm Gladwell's books like Blink, Outliers and his latest David & Goliath are my favourites. It helps me with life in general, understanding my children better, understanding the people I work with. It helps me work on improving my leadership.

And I am fortunate to observe lately that leadership is not just about setting strategies and directions. It is more and one underestimated but very important aspect is setting clear expectations.

Expectations about not just deliverables but mindset, values and behaviour as an individual (especially if you are managers yourselves because what you do and what you say shapes others' mindset!), expectations how people should work together and the list goes on. 

Sometimes we take that for granted. Sometimes we assume people should know. But I have seen almost always, leaders achieve better outcomes when expectations are made clear..and consistent. It's time tested. This video is proof of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WUxb8YB88o