As you well know, one of our responsibilities as a leader is to create expectations for our team members. Failure to do so may cause a number of issues and consequences. However, I have a challenge for you, how about role reversal? That is, “what do your people expect from you?” They may not express to you outright, but the following are what I have learned people expect from their leader:

  • To communicate openly, honestly, and frequently
  • To be predictable and consistent
  • To have a plan for their growth
  • To exhibit self-confidence balanced with humility
  • To encourage them (remember, you need to be the Chief Encouragement Officer:CEO)
  • To challenge them
  • To let them know how they are doing
  • To always praise when appropriate
  • To be decisive and fair
  • To inform them of change that will affect them

I am sure there are many more expectations our people have, but these are some that come to my mind. I found it helpful from time to time to conduct a self – assessment on how I am doing with each of these. Why not rate yourself on a 1-10 scale, 10 being the max. Then prioritize and take the top 3, put a plan in place to “move the needle.”  All the best on your journey of People Development.