Setting high expectations for your team members

Setting high expectations for your team members is one of the most important things a team leader can do. I think many new managers underestimate this. By having high expectations, you are sending the message that you believe in your team and that you expect them to achieve great things. From my experience, this can motivate team members to work harder and achieve more than they thought possible.

How to set high expectations for your team members

There are a few things to keep in mind when setting high expectations for your team members. First, it is important to be clear about what you expect from each member of the team. Ensure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities and what is expected of them. 

It has to be done before the work gets started, not during or after it is done. Setting clear expectations helps to reduce ambiguity, and your team knows exactly what you expect of them for each task/project. You will be surprised to learn that no one can read your mind. As the manager, it is on you to ensure that your expectation is effectively communicated and understood. For example, when I work on the annual forecast with my teams across different offices, I create a process, training program, and checklist to ensure everyone understands the ask. The list also covers commonly asked questions by our internal/external stakeholders. It is because for us to maintain consistent quality across several offices, and for me not to have to do training personally every time we have a new team member joining, we need everyone to understand what good looks like. 

Based on the client’s expectation, sometimes I even ask my team to explain to me a line item amongst more than one thousand line items in the forecasting file. I do it not because it is fun. It is because that is the external expectation, and I want to prepare the team for success. 

Second, it is important to set realistic expectations. If you set goals that are too high, team members may become discouraged and give up. 

While you set high expectations, it is your responsibility to estimate whether your team can do it or intervene when needed. This is to ensure that the overall delivery meets the client or internal expectations in both quality and timeline. 

Also, it does not mean complaining about the work of your team non-stop. Everyone hates unconstructive criticism. It does not mean moving the goal post either or setting unnecessary constraints, which have a very minimal impact overall. 

The benefits of having high expectations for your team members 

I think the most important benefit is that it can help team members to reach their full potential. When people know you genuinely believe they can do great work, they tend to rise to the occasion. I have seen this happen many times across the different teams I have managed -- someone who seemed "average" at first delivered exceptional work once expectations were set clearly and they understood what good looks like :)

The challenges of having high expectations for your team members 

However, there are challenges too. One challenge is that it can be difficult to maintain high expectations over time. As team members become more comfortable with each other and the work environment, they may start to slack off or become complacent. I have experienced this myself -- it takes real effort to keep the bar high without burning people out.

Another challenge is that setting high expectations can sometimes lead to conflict. If team members feel that they are constantly being asked to do more than they are capable of, they may become resentful. I think the key here is communication. When I sense that someone is struggling, I try to have an honest one-on-one conversation to understand where they are and what support they need. (I wrote more about this in my post on guiding non-performers toward success.) It is not always easy, but it is necessary.

Additional tips about team management and leadership

You can check out additional tips I wrote about team management and leadership here.

That's all from me. How do you balance setting high expectations with being realistic about your team's capacity? I'd love to hear your approach.

Cheers,

Chandler