Expectation-Setting Conversations

Set clear, high expectations so your people know what great looks like.

The Problem

Most underperformance starts with an unspoken expectation. Leaders assume their people know what good looks like, so they never make it explicit.

Their people are left to guess, and the gap between what was wanted and what was delivered only surfaces once it is too late. Next thing we know, the leader needs to give tough feedback or have a difficult conversation.

The Insight

Great leaders make expectations explicit. They set a clear, high bar, agree what success looks like and why it matters, and hold their people to it with support. They do this at multiple levels: expectations of the role, of a project and of tasks. Great leaders expect a lot, and their people rise to the occasion. It is one of the core conversations Michelle Rushton and Shaun Kenny, founders of People of Influence, teach leaders to master.

Assumed or explicit?

Setting an expectation takes a little more time and courage up front. It saves far more later, because people know exactly what they are aiming for and can hit it.

“People cannot hit a target they cannot see.”

Key Outcomes

What your leaders walk away with

01
Know what great looks like
Leaders understand the anatomy of a clear, high expectation, and why ambiguity is the root of most underperformance.
02
See where they stand today
Through the Growing Great People Diagnostic, an honest read on how well each leader currently Stretches and Supports their people (expectation setting is key to Stretch).
03
Strategies they can use immediately
A simple, repeatable structure for setting an expectation people can aim at, ready for the very next conversation.
04
Practise the skill for real
Each leader sets a real expectation for a real role, with feedback from a colleague and the facilitator, so they leave with a baseline and clarity on what to work on next.
05
A toolkit and an action plan
Each participant receives a Takeaway Toolkit, plus their action plan built in the session for themselves and their team.
06
Nudges that reinforce over time
Behavioural nudges that remind and reinforce the habit long after the session.
The Diagnostic

The Growing Great People Diagnostic

Expectation setting is one part of a bigger picture. Pair the program with the Growing Great People Diagnostic, a holistic measurement and improvement tool for being a great people leader. It measures how well a leader Stretches and Supports their people, across expectation setting, feedback and the other conversations that grow people, then tracks their progress over time.

Stretch
How well the leader challenges their people to grow, through high expectations, accountability and increasing responsibility.
Support
How well the leader provides the encouragement, coaching and mentoring their people need to succeed.
See the Diagnostic →
The Growing Great People Diagnostic report shown on a laptop
Session Flow

How the session unfolds

Timings and emphasis are tailored to your group and the time available.

1
What a clear expectation looks like
The anatomy of a high expectation: the outcome, the standard, why it matters and by when, so there is no room to guess.
2
Hold up the mirror
They review the results of their Growing Great People Diagnostic to see how their expectation setting is currently perceived and compare this to what great looks like. The organisation's Dashboard shows patterns across the cohort.
3
Structure the conversation
A simple, repeatable framework for setting an expectation people can aim at, and for raising the bar without losing them.
4
Agree, don't impose
How to set a high bar people own rather than merely comply with, so the expectation sticks when the leader is not in the room.
5
Practice
Each leader sets a real expectation for a real role and has the conversation, with feedback from a colleague.
6
Follow through
Linking the expectation to accountability and feedback, so a clear standard becomes a lasting one.
7
Make it real
Each leader commits to the specific expectations they will reset with their people, starting this week.
8
Embedding
Over the following weeks to months: behavioural nudges, facilitated peer group coaching, individual coaching - a range of options depending on the engagement.
Format & Delivery

Shaped around your context

Duration
2 hours, half day or full day
Delivery
In person or virtual
Audience
People leaders at any level
Two ways to work with us

People of Influence is the consultancy through which Michelle Rushton and Shaun Kenny deliver leadership programs, team offsites and impactful conferences.

Contact People of Influence →

Leadership Engine is our proprietary platform for diagnostics, dashboards and roadmaps.

Visit Leadership Engine →