Does Your Team Understand Your Vision and Expectations?
I co-led a staff retreat with two managers on my team a while back, and I remember the excitement in people’s eyes as we laid out a three-year shared vision for our work. At the same time, I remember the dread I felt when a few folks said, “I finally get the bigger picture of how our teams are supposed to work together.”
I’m not afraid to admit this leadership failure because I know I’m not alone here. How often have you, as a leader, assumed that your team understands your expectations? How frequently have you taken for granted that role expectations and strategy aren’t always clear, especially as new people join the team?
If you’ve found yourself in this proverbial boat, a 360-degree review can help you unpack where you’re thriving and where you might be falling short in creating a strategic vision for your team. The Leadership Circle Profile 360 is particularly helpful in providing benchmark data so you can get a sense of your competencies and reactive tendencies compared to over 200k other leaders.
Here are a few additional tips to help you check for alignment and understanding:
As priorities shift, be proactive about the impact on the what, why, and how of the work. Roles evolve as strategies evolve, and with them, task responsibilities. Make sure your team understands what you expect from them individually, how you want them to collaborate across groups, and how these expectations support your organization's overall goals.
Be intentional about creating connections across your organization. Create forums for teams to learn about each other’s work, celebrate their impact, and deepen cross-team connections.
Shared language helps team members feel part of a larger, unified organization and vision. Frontline employees are more likely to listen to their direct manager than you, so it’s essential to understand how they describe the work to their team. What language do they use to discuss impact and outcomes? How do they talk about their peers?
Be clear about how you expect people to show up when there are no “perfect” answers. Navigating ambiguity is table stakes for leaders and individual contributors alike. Let them know how much freedom and creativity they have to propose or implement novel solutions.
Create boundaries even when there is uncertainty. Giving your team permission to take risks and spelling out the boundaries of what “good” looks like can inspire action and create a sense of stability when the path ahead is complex and uncertain.
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If you’re motivated to grow as a leader and are curious about the power of a 360-degree review, book an intro call here https://calendly.com/kristenarterburn
