Dear Coach: I struggle with some people on my team not living up to expectations. It’s as if they are not even listening. I’m really getting tired of this and ready to clear the decks and start over. Am I being too hasty?
I can certainly understand why you’re ready to start over. People not living up to expectations is exhausting and frustrating. That said, have you ever heard the maxim: unrealistic expectations are really premeditated resentments?
Practically speaking, when our expectations go consistently unmet, we can become embittered and cynical that the person even cares about following through. When we have unrealistic expectations of another person we are setting the relationship up for failure.
But, let’s extend that thought a bit, especially in context of your people not listening. What is the probability of meeting an unexpressed expectation? Virtually nil, right? So, in essence, an unexpressed – or misunderstood – expectation is unrealistic.
Given the investment you have likely made in the offending staff, isn’t it worth taking an extra step to make sure you are really dealing with a ‘performance’ issue and not an ‘understanding’ issue?
When you engage them on a task next time, don’t just assume they should know what you expect.
Take time to be very specific about what success looks like and make sure you include what their boundaries are for unilateral decision making.
Hopefully there is a breakthrough and you have saved your investment and they feel more effective. If not, well… get out the broom.