Success in any organization depends on setting clear expectations and goals. Ensuring that everyone in your organization clearly understands their role in that process is crucial to moving forward and succeeding as a business.
To ensure that everyone in your organization is clear about the road ahead and what’s expected of them along the way, it’s key that everyone, including you, the leader, can answer these questions:
What am I supposed to be doing?
Your role as the owner/leader needs to have a defined purpose for your team. A leader has to build rapport and keep the channels of communication open in both directions. A true leader knows the value of input from their team. The team wants to be kept up to date with any news that affects their role within the organization. Your team should feel comfortable airing ideas and grievances alike and know that they will sincerely listen. It doesn’t matter if not all their ideas are accepted. Being able to voice them is the key.
What are the expected goals or standards?
Any business that claims to be goal-driven must have a leader who sets and achieves its own goals. In doing so, leaders make their priorities for both themselves and their workers clear. When a team fails to meet its goals, a leader is expected to provide constructional feedback and suggestions for improvement. Conversely, if the company goals are achieved, a good leader should acknowledge this while raising standards for the next project.
How does my performance match up to these goals?
Leaders must inspire a high level of commitment and performance from employees; motivation should not be entirely negative or positive, but a mixture of both. For example, a leader might introduce initiatives that reward employees based on outstanding performance or punish them for poor performance.
Innovation and a Desire to Improve
Outstanding landscape company employees are ones who constantly strive to improve. Therefore, these organizations must have innovative leaders who can see past immediate projects, objectives, and successes and develop original ideas to stay ahead of their competitors.
Trust Works Both Ways
Nobody likes the boss watching them all the time, but they must be available when necessary. People do need guidance and then to be left alone to get to work. This means the leader has to trust their team to do the best work possible and demonstrate that trust by letting them do it. This allows the team to prove themselves by meeting the required expectations.
Once you and your people have a clear sense of what’s expected–evidenced by an ability to answer the Six Questions above–you’ll be well on your way to success and accomplishing your mission.
Setting Clear Expectations
One of the most important responsibilities of any successful leader is to make their expectations–both of themselves and their people–crystal clear. To eliminate any misunderstandings about the way ahead and what’s expected, make sure you, as well as everyone else in your organization, can answer the following questions… clearly.
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