Setting Expectations

The positive or negative influence one employee can have on the entire team is greater than most managers realize. The manager must decide which employees will stay and which ones will go. Once the team is assembled of the remaining employees, it is time to set or reset expectations. The manager should have a meeting with the team and talk about the expectations for the “new” team from that day forward. It is essential that the expectations be clear and specific. It is also important to eliminate any ambiguity. For example, a manager could say, “I expect everyone to have a good attitude.” This is a poorly articulated expectation because everyone’s idea of a good attitude is different. The expectation should be put into behavioral terms that can be measured and be documented in writing. The team will then understand exactly what is expected.

Expectations need to be reinforced by ongoing coaching. If an employee is exhibiting positive behaviors, then that behavior needs to be reinforced. A manager might say, “Cindy, I know that you were under tons of pressure on the Acme account, but you did a nice job of staying calm, cool, and collected—good work!” The positive reinforcement will motivate the employee to want to continue the behavior because it was noticed.

If negative behaviors are noticed, then the manager needs to inform the employee that the behavior is not acceptable and coach them for improvement.

I once worked in an organization where there was an employee on the team who was rude, vicious, and just plain mean. “Rita” (not her real name) was rude to employees, customers, and management. She had been there for three years and was tolerated by everyone. The main topic at lunch was almost always Rita and why management allowed her behavior to go on for years. This had a very bad impact on employee motivation and morale. An organization must not allow one person who a manager doesn’t have the guts to fire to be a disruption to creating a motivating environment.

Once the team has been culled of negative-thinking people who lack enthusiasm, then it is essential for managers to master the next phase: modeling enthusiasm.