It is Extremely Important to set Expectations as a Leader.

It isn't enough to have an "Idea" of what they are, you have to make sure everyone Knows the Expectations, and Lives by them in the workplace.

Many Leaders encounter Huge Problems because they aren't Clear about their Expectations, or don't ensure they are Maintained.

However, there is another Danger that Leaders must be aware of when it comes to Expectations.

I'm working with a group of individuals to design a program, and we were discussing how some of us (including me) would want to get to the highest possible levels in a program design.

(Yes, my general approach in areas I Study/Research - What's the Best/Highest Level? How do I get There?)

We had a Realization though.

Just because "We" might Expect Ourselves to Aim and Hit the highest possible level, doesn't mean "others" have ANY interest in doing that.

The Reality is that "most" people do NOT want to hit High Levels of the things they do.

The Vast Majority of people just want to be Good Enough or Acceptable at what they do.

In many ways this is Great!

We can't ALL be the "Best" at EVERYTHING - It's not possible and if you aren't careful it can be Detrimental to your Health and Wellness.

This becomes Extremely Important when you are thinking about what the Expectations should be within your Team/Business/Organization.

Just because "You" have a specific and high Expectation of Yourself in Your work, doesn't mean ANYONE else will.

You may expect yourself to work 60+ Hour Weeks (even though it's a Terrible Idea from both a Productivity and Wellbeing Standpoint), but that doesn't mean ANYONE else wants that.

Most people would MUCH rather spend those 20 Hours doing ANYTHING else.

Maybe they want to spend time with their Spouses.

Maybe they want to get their degree.

Maybe they want to see their Kid's Sports and Extracurriculars.

Maybe they want to do their OWN Sports and Extracurriculars!

(In some places, they would rather be laid on a bed of nails and buried in a coffin... but that's just the Toxic Workplaces... not yours... hopefully)

It could be ANY number of other things they would much rather do than Work.

If you put "Your" Excessively High Expectations of yourself, and "Expect" others to do the same, you will become disappointed.

In a best-case scenario, your Team will "Agree" but not like it.

That will create Friction in the Team and Disengagement, which will then Decrease Overall Productivity.

However, it could get Significantly Worse!

It could lead to Active Disengagement where members Purposefully work against you and the Goals of the Organization

The heightened Expectations could push people too far into Dis-Stress, which then leads to Burnout.

Burnout itself could become Group Burnout which then creates MORE problems for Leaders.

In some cases, it could Lead to outright Rebellion, Insubordination, Walk-Outs, or Strikes.

All of these things become GIGANTIC Problems for Leaders, and given the current State of the Workplace, could ultimately be the Leader's Removal or the Business's/Organization's Failure.

We as Leaders simply cannot Expect others to be anywhere near as Dedicated to their Work as we are.

To do so would be Folly.

But we still NEED to set Expectations, so what should Leaders do?

You have to be Honest with the Situation you currently have.

What Expectation(s) can you Guarantee that about 80% of People within a Team/Organization will Agree on with little to no complaint, while also attaining the Results that are necessary for Success?

It's not a "Perfect" number, but it does consider a few important things.

You'll never make EVERYONE Happy, so you won't get 100%
Even if you DID make Everyone Happy, it likely would be such a Low Bar that it wouldn't get Results
You need a Majority of People to Agree, otherwise you might get people "Swayed" to fight against the Expectations
Usually, people in a Minority (20% or Less) are more likely to Follow the Majority (There are some fun Psychological Experiments you can find online that show just how Susceptible Humans are to a Majority)
As a Leader, you must always ensure everyone is working toward Specific Results
When Results are not defined well, Humans usually won't attain them - it's a Human Psychological Challenge we all face

Perhaps for a Last Aspect to consider with this, Leaders should also take a look at the Psychophysiological Health of their Team.

If you have a Team that is already in Burnout, or WORSE Group Burnout (as 80% of Employees are), then you will be FORCED to Lower Expectations.

Your Team Physically won't be able to attain High Expectations, and trying to "force" them to hit those will only make the Burnout Worse.

However, if you have a Team that is Consistently in Group Flow, you could likely Raise the Expectations, sometimes Significantly.

In Flow States, people are 5x more Productive according to the Research (in today's world it would likely be higher due to the current state of Burnout), and can often take on Significantly Higher Goals.

If you want to be a SMART Leader around Expectations and find your Team already in Burnout, this should be your Gameplan:

Lower Expectations to Reduce Overall Stressors
Help Team Get OUT of Burnout (Will Require Fixing the Mg-ATP Problem)
Help Team Get CONSISTENT Group Flow States
Raise Expectations Higher

Sometimes, to move fast, you first need to slow down and Fix the underlying problems.

Burnout is the largest underlying Problem in Business Today.

Results will ALWAYS be Out of Reach for as long as Burnout is Rampant.

But if you fix Burnout first, a whole world of Opportunity opens up.

The fastest way to Accomplish this is through Regenerative Legacy Design.

If you Move Expectations to Match the Psychophysiological Reality you are currently in, you're going to make your life Significantly Better as a Leader.

An Important Aspect Of Setting Expectations As A Leader - Something We Often Forget

Something We Often Forget

What will you write today?