It is easy to get lost between the two polarities – expect less or expect more, both of others and yourself. Yet, to be an effective leader you must have expectations.

As the famous author and poet Sylvia Plath once wrote:

“If you expect nothing from somebody you are never disappointed.”

However, human nature dictates that the opposite is also true; that, as a leader, your team members will usually rise to the level of your expectations of them. The secret is in maintaining the balance between the two polarities, mastering creating and keeping realistic, positive expectations of yourself and others.

Experience teaches us that negativity and positivity breed negative and positive energy – and results. Thus, the inherent power of positive expectations will lead to good outcomes. How this simple truth has been set aside by so many is a mystery – and a travesty.

You see, positive expectations are something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you have positive expectations, you begin to anticipate that good things will happen. As a result, you begin to think positive thoughts and take positive actions that inevitably lead to positive outcomes – and a positive life. Conversely, negative expectations are also a self-fulfilling prophecy, and usually self-defeating.

On a more positive note, another well-known author, Earl Nightingale, once wrote:

“Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.”

An Effective Leader Expects the Best from their Team

After all, teams have expectations of their leaders, so why shouldn’t leaders have expectations of their teams?

From their perspective, it makes perfect sense that they should expect you to be involved, clear with your instructions, engaged and open. They also expect you to be committed to their success as well as your own, that you will be honest, consistent, and respectful, and that you will provide them with opportunities to succeed.

Like setting goals, establishing expectations of your team is the key to success – for all of you. Unclear expectations will not only undermine performance and reduce results within a team, it can also have a negative impact on employee engagement, relationships, and teamwork. A lack of clearly defined standards of performance can also lead to serious employee relations problems, including: grievances, destructive conflicts, and unfair dismissal claims, which can be very costly for the organization.

An Effective Leader Accepts the Team’s Expectations

The keys to setting positive expectations for your team are:

• Provide clarity – Articulate to your team how and why your expectations will positively affect the overall goals and strategies, as well as how they will improve their own chances for advancement.
• Set stretch goals – Develop expectations for your team that will lead to improvements in performance, beyond their normal comfort zones. This helps to avoid burnout and will keep them motivated and engaged.
• Communicate openly – And do so repeatedly and often. Do not let your team lose sight of your expectations for them and keep them focused on the positive outcomes they can expect from meeting them.
• Find common ground – By openly sharing your expectations with team members, you will be far more likely to get them to commit to following through on them and improving everyone’s odds of reaching team goals.
• Accept their expectations – Commit to accepting their expectations of you, as their leader. Ask for feedback on your own performance as team leader and work to improve daily. Doing this ensures much greater levels of loyalty, trust, and mutual respect for all involved.
• Have positive regard for your team members – When things go wrong, do not confuse actions which lead to undesired outcomes with labeling another person as being not capable. You will learn to discern between the two, so do not allow blaming and catastrophizing tendencies cloud your judgement.

An effective leader sets the standard for the team, in both the expectations you have for them and for yourself.

If you would you like to learn more about how to be an effective leader, through improving your leadership skills and the enhanced use of emotional intelligence in the workplace, my Free Leadership Webinar may be exactly what you need.