Bridging the Gap: When Employees Don't Meet Expectations
Tired of employees who are just going through the motions? We've all been there. In this episode, we'll share practical techniques to create a workplace where your team feels truly valued and motivated.
Learn how to recognize the signs of disengagement, foster genuine care and communication, and ignite passion within your team. Discover the power of believing in your employees' potential, and how engagement can lead to improved business results and increased retention. We'll also share how empowering your team to solve problems can be a game-changer for engagement.
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Bridging the Gap: Unraveling Why Employees Don't Meet Expectations
As a leader, it can get pretty frustrating when your employees don't meet expectations. You've set clear goals and provided resources, and yet, the results fall short. It's easy to jump to conclusions, attributing the underperformance to a lack of motivation or ability. But are you really solving the real issue?
In the recent episode of The Leadership Hustle podcast, we explored the multifaceted reasons why employees may not meet expectations. We emphasized that addressing performance gaps requires a deeper understanding of the underlying causes and a proactive approach to setting employees up for success.
Clear Job Expectations: The Foundation for Success
One of the most common culprits behind unmet expectations is the "curse of knowledge." As leaders, we become so familiar with our areas of expertise that we often underestimate the level of detail and clarity required when communicating tasks and responsibilities or believe that our way of doing it is the only way.
We assume that others possess the same knowledge and context, leading to vague instructions and misinterpretations. To combat the curse of knowledge, it's vital to provide clear, detailed instructions and ensure mutual understanding. This involves:
Specificity: Break down tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
Examples: Provide concrete examples of what successful completion looks like.
Confirmation: Ask employees to reiterate their understanding of the task and expectations.
Checkpoints: Establish regular check-ins to monitor progress and address any questions or concerns.
Clarity is key. By setting crystal-clear expectations from the outset, you minimize the risk of misunderstandings and pave the way for employee success.
Stop Assuming. Assessing Employee Skill and Motivation
When an employee consistently falls short of expectations, it's crucial to go beyond assumptions and identify the root cause. A helpful framework is to assess both the employee's "will" (motivation) and "skill" (ability).
Lack of Skill
The employee may not possess the necessary skills or knowledge to complete the task effectively. This calls for training, coaching, or additional resources to bridge the skill gap.
Lack of Employee Motivation
The employee may have the skills but lacks the motivation to perform at their best. This could be due to various factors, such as feeling undervalued, unclear goals, or a lack of engagement.
Addressing motivational issues often requires open communication, recognition, and providing opportunities for growth and development. It's also essential to consider external factors that might be hindering performance.
Environmental barriers like distractions, unclear communication from other team members, or inadequate resources can all contribute to unmet expectations.
The Impact of the Environment in Underperformance
The work environment plays a crucial role in shaping employee performance. A positive and supportive environment can foster engagement and productivity, while a negative or chaotic environment can lead to stress, demotivation, and decreased performance.
Common environmental barriers include open-plan offices, constant notifications, and interruptions can disrupt focus and hinder productivity. Misunderstandings, conflicting instructions, or a lack of transparency can lead to confusion and errors.
Additionally, inadequate tools, technology, or support can impede employees' ability to complete tasks effectively. By addressing these environmental factors, you can create a more enabling workplace that sets employees up for success.
How To Create Where Employee's Goals Are Meet
So, keeping all this in mind is our role as a leader to create a space that helps our team thrive, be accountable, and meet all their KPIs and long-term goals. This is how you stop employees from meeting expectations.
Clear Communication Channels: Establish clear lines of communication and ensure that everyone has access to the information they need.
Adequate Resources: Provide employees with the tools, technology, and support they need to perform their jobs effectively.
Minimizing Distractions: Create designated quiet spaces, encourage the use of headphones, and establish clear expectations around communication and interruptions.
By proactively addressing environmental barriers, you remove obstacles to success and empower your employees to perform at their best.
Contact Revela
If you are struggling to implement these changes in your organization that lead to a better workplace environment and productivity, you have come to the right place. Let us help develop your team to its full potential.
Why wait? Start building an effective management team! Contact Revela and start scaling your business.
The Leadership Hustle podcast is produced by Two Brothers Creative.
About the Hosts
Andrea Fredrickson
Andrea Fredrickson is a thought leader and consultant at Revela, an organization based in Omaha, Nebraska specializing in the development of leaders, culture alignment, and business strategy for private and family businesses of all sizes. Revela is one of the region's most experienced thought challengers, helping individuals and companies find their greatness. Andrea has built an amazing team by believing that fundamentally people want to be successful and become better versions of themselves.
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Andrea has degrees in education, management, and business. She is the author of Insight Unseen; How to lead with 20/20 business vision. She helps people see things differently, self-reflect, and never stop looking for ways to improve themselves on a personal and professional level. Andrea has spent more than 30 years researching and developing methods to help people communicate and lead more effectively.
When Andrea isn’t working with clients, you’ll find her spending time with her family & friends and making memories by exploring new cities.
Michelle Hill
Michelle Hill is a master facilitator and coach at Revela, an organization specializing in the development of leaders and aligning the culture of privately held and family businesses of all sizes. Revela is one of the region's most experienced thought challengers, helping individuals and companies find their greatness.
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An ambitious leader, Michelle has the natural ability to create forward momentum to build teams and get results. She inspires others to look within themselves and to challenge the status quo. She helps create high-performing environments. Michelle brings a diverse background: operations, employee development, and sales in the steel, hospitality, and consulting industries.
Outside of work, you will see her competitive side engaged in her daughter’s sports and ISU athletics. She loves life, her four-legged companions, and captures all the moments through her camera’s lens.
TRANSCRIPT
Michelle Hill : In this episode of The Leadership Hustle, we'll give you some techniques on how to create an environment that's more engaging for not only you, but your employees. Hello and welcome to The Leadership Hustle. For executives whose companies are growing fast and need leaders who are ready. Hi there, and welcome back to the next episode of The Leadership Hustle. I'm Andrea Fredrickson, I'm Michelle Hill, and we're here to discuss employee engagement. Everybody's favorite topic. Yay! But really, this is a true story. I'm working with a group of people, senior people in an organization. There's 16 people going through this course and it's been half. We're halfway through the class, and this guy in there simply said to me, I did not realize how much more engaged my my people are now that I'm, like, talking to them and asking them questions. And you just shared a story that people say. I've had people say, I didn't realize how disengaged I was with my leader.