Wednesday Wisdom: Setting Expectations

Today's Wednesday Wisdom is brought to you by Indra Books of Agility for All. Have a question? Post it in the comments.  

We constantly have directives that are confusing or misleading. How can we change this? 

I am going to use an example from my hometown again. We did not have one full day of rain this year during our rainy months. As a result, the water restrictions have been expanded. However they are so unclear and unenforceable. 230 liters of water per day, per person. There is no way to regulate this. 

Swimming pools have been a hot topic as well. Originally any unfilled pools, including community centers would go unfilled this year. However, the politicians running for office pushed to have that revoked, as they knew it would harm their chances of winning. So, is it really about the water shortage? And then much of the enforcement or even clarification is left to the municipalities who in one case said, "Well, there isn't a policy, but just think of the community." 

 So, what does this have to do with expectations in an organization? As leaders, regardless of your level in the organization, we have a responsibility to not only create a safe culture that includes transparency, but to be clear about our operating procedures. 

In the case of today's question, it was about remote work. Yes. Three years after the first pandemic measures and organizations do not have this sorted. They have not taken the time to write clear remote work policies and get caught having to wing it and make stuff up on the fly that then becomes inconsistent and unfair. 

While some policies have to be put in place for legal reasons that does not mean that they can't be clear. Policies should not be stated in confusing legales. Provide clarifications. Also most policies are instituted out of preference so why not make these expectations more transparent and clearer? Publish the change and ask for feedback. Have discussions around what the employees take from the policy. How does it impact their ability to meet the organization's mission and goals? 

And when a policy is questioned, don't look at it as a negative. Look at it as an opportunity to inspect and adapt and make changes as and when they are needed. In next week's episode i will talk about an exercise that you can do to check how clear your messaging is and how it's being received.

 And that is today's Wednesday Wisdom. Don't forget. If you have a question post it in the comments. Tune in next week for our next segment.  

Learn more about the work that we do and the programs that we offer. Set up a call to start planning how you want to change the culture of your organization.

Learn More

About the Author:

INDRA A. BOOKS

Connect with us