Anticipating Employer Expectations

The fastest, easiest route to a terrible employee experience is to start them off with a massive expectations gap. Read on to learn about the gap and the two things you must do to avoid it. 👇 The employee experience destroying expectations gap is a chasm between the job you sold them and the one they actually have to do every day. This instantaneously erodes trust, replacing it with suspicion toward your authority. It also ruins any chance of a good onboarding experience, which virtually ensures they won’t feel a part of your mission. And that terrible employee experience always negatively impacts the customer experience, because your customers experience your brand through your employees. I saw this happen when a client hired a successful salesperson from an adjacent industry. The salesperson thought they were joining a collaborative environment full of support from the sales leader and their new colleagues. But the entire sales team was remote and chasing challenging quotas. There wasn’t a lot of time to spare for a new hire who often felt alone on an island. Less than a year later, without much success, their employment came to an end. So, how do we prevent that from happening? We do the opposite. We get aligned on expectations. There are two things you can start doing today: First, in the hiring process, try to talk them out of the job. Yes, you want to sell them on your mission, but you also want to be clear about how hard it will be. You want them to know the bad things before they start rather than surprising them after. Second, use a job scorecard instead of a job description. A job description is typically a list of bullet points thrown together for a job posting. A job scorecard has a clear vision for the role, a definition of a high performer, criteria for success, an overview of responsibilities, a list of meetings where attendance is required, and KPIs to measure progress. Do these two things to set and stay aligned on expectations. Do these two things and you won’t destroy your employee experience. Need help? I have a format for a “talk them out of the job” interview and a scorecard template I would love to share. Leave a comment below with which one you want me to send you. #culture #employeeexperience

A few years ago, I found myself on the cusp of a significant career milestone – a well-deserved promotion. Eagerly stepping into my new role, I was brimming with anticipation, ready to impress my new leader and team. As review time approached, my anticipation turned into a sense of confidence. After all, I had always been an overachiever, consistently exceeding expectations in my previous positions. However, the reality check came swiftly. During one of my early meetings with my new leader, I eagerly awaited my review from the previous year, expecting nothing short of an "exceeds expectations." Yet, to my surprise, it was a "meets expectations" rating that stared back at me from the paperwork. I couldn't believe it – how could this be? I had just been promoted, received accolades, and yet, I was only meeting expectations? In that moment, my leader imparted a message that would resonate with me for years to come. He explained that merely resting on past achievements wouldn't suffice; I needed to evolve, grow, and adapt to the new challenges to truly excel in my current role. It was a pivotal moment, one that taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, adaptability, and continuous self-improvement. Here are three key strategies I employed to not only meet but exceed expectations in all future roles: Embracing Humility and Learning: Instead of dwelling on my initial disappointment, I chose to embrace humility and acknowledge that there was still much to learn. I sought guidance from mentors, absorbed insights from experienced colleagues, and remained open to constructive feedback. Setting Clear Goals and Priorities: I mapped out short-term objectives aligned with long-term career aspirations, ensuring that each task contributed meaningfully to the overarching goals of the team and organization. By staying organized and prioritizing effectively, I was able to channel my efforts towards areas where I could make the greatest impact, ultimately driving success. Proactive Collaboration and Initiative: Understanding that success is often a collective effort, I proactively sought opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across departments and functions. By fostering strong relationships built on trust and mutual respect, I was able identify areas for improvement and implement proactive solutions, demonstrating my commitment to continuous improvement and value creation. Through diligent effort, perseverance, and a willingness to embrace change, I was able to not only meet but exceed expectations in my new role. The journey taught me that true growth and success stem from a relentless pursuit of excellence and a willingness to adapt and evolve in the face of adversity.

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟱𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺 When I read that statement from Gallup, I did a doubletake. I reread it, thinking I had misread it in my haste to research some data for a presentation. Now, I have to ask: "HOW CAN THAT BE?" I could not help but wonder: Could this be related to the high number of unengaged employees? Then I turned to a theory: Is this a result of managers being afraid of being called micromanagers? I think they are related, although I have no proof yet. However, I am still researching it, and I have some anecdotal evidence that it might be. So, what do leaders do in the meantime? Gallup recommends that leaders: 🔸 Provide Clear Expectations: Set clear, specific goals for employees, ensuring they understand their role and what success looks like. 🔸 Ongoing Communication: Foster regular, open dialogue between managers and employees, making expectations a continuous conversation rather than a one-time event. 🔸 Tailor Expectations to Individual Strengths: Align employees' roles and goals with their individual strengths and talents, helping them perform at their best. 🔸 Use Strengths-Based Coaching: Train managers to coach employees through their unique strengths, empowering them to meet or exceed expectations. 🔸 Create Accountability Structures: Establish regular check-ins and feedback mechanisms to ensure alignment and help employees stay on track. However, the first thing that must be done is for the direct manager to sit down regularly—once a week or every two weeks—to determine how things are going. This is the one-on-one meeting owned by each employer/direct report to the manager. In this meeting, the direct report needs to report on: 1. What I accomplished this week related to the goals. 2. Where do I need help: removal of obstacles, training, and coaching? 3. What I am working on over the next week to accomplish related to the goals. If a manager structures a meeting like this, there is no doubt that every employee will know what is expected of them. And those of you who think this is micromanaging, you are incorrect. Having a structured one-on-one meeting creates a bond, a synergy between the employee and manager, to support one another and get things done. By implementing these practices, leaders can ensure their teams are focused, engaged, and working toward shared goals. Your partner in success, Joe Murphy ⏰ Leadership Insights video series (5 PM ET Mon-Fri) 📣Cool to repost 🔔Follow me for more success tips #CHROs #LeadersatAllLevels #TheLeadershipAcademy

Are "Expectations" a two-way conversation in your organization? They should be!! When I say this to managers, I am sometimes met with answers like: 👉 "Is that not opening a can of worms? 👉 What if we can't meet everyone's expectations? 👉 What if it is inviting conflict? I say: 👉 These discussions can actually PREVENT destructive conflict down the road. 👉 It's important to reframe thinking- if expectations ARE too high, these conversation become a valuable opportunity to negotiate realistic goals, understand each other's perspectives, and find a middle ground. 💡 You could also look at the concept of expectations from another perspective....i.e. unconscious silent expectations. People often THINK their expectations are just about pay and working structure. Then something happens to make them realize they expected more all along. But by then...the damage has been done. Every person benefits from thinking about what they want BEYOND pay and working structure....and considering the intangibles as well as the tangibles: the learning opportunities; the workload; how the organization recognizes good work; how they will be communicated with. And so these discussions are not reserved for the hiring stage only. Every manager needs to ask from time to time because expectations change...and avoiding expectations creates a gap that gets filled with assumption, frustration, and mistrust. Clarity upfront may feel uncomfortable, but it prevents much bigger discomfort later. Basic coaching skills like learning how to structure conversations, ask questions and actively listen can really help managers here. And so can developing their emotional intelligence. 🙋♀️ I can help with that if you like Ps what else would you add to the list of (often) silent expectations below?