Driving Excellence

"Commit yourself to quality from day one ... it's better to do nothing at all than to do something badly." Mark McCormack

I have always argued that 98% of employees come to work to do well. They strive for excellence in what they do, and desire to have pride in a job well done. Bringing out the best in your employees - setting the stage for outstanding performance - begins with you. And the expectations you establish and communicate to employees.

Establishing expectations surrounding a position takes some time and analysis. Expectations are not linear, they are multi-dimensional. So looking at a position from many angles is a must. What are the logistical expectations? The postional expectations? The team expectations? The client/customer expectations? Take note of the different interactions, the tasks, the location, and any other aspect of the position and think about what excellent means from that perspective.

Communicating these expectations becomes the most critical component of any managers position. And, when done well, greatly eases the "pains" of being a manager. At this point, managers should communicate as directly and succinctly as possible. A good rule of thumb when communicating is this: 1. Tell them what you are going to tell them. 2. Tell them. 3. Tell them what you told them. Find various avenues and reasons to talk about expectations. Share everything - share often.

In every case of performance coaching I have been involved in, the employee expressed a desire to know more about what is expected and more about how the manager views their performance compared with their expectations.

Bottom line, managers - over-analyze your expectations. And over-communicate these expectations. This will help you drive excellence in your organization.

Visit HR Now at www.h-r-now.com