Lately, I’ve been talking about the challenging topic of setting expectations for those who work with us and for us – our people.
Our most valuable asset.
A recent Gallup Study found it’s so important that we get our expectations right because they’re a key driver of the engagement of our people in the business.
They also alarmingly found:
global employee engagement currently sits at 20%,
so clearly, we need to work harder to captivate the disengaged 80% who we’re paying hard earned cash for.
How engaged would you say your people are right now?
With “one” = not engaged at all and would leave at a moment’s notice, and
“Ten” = highly involved in the business and thriving being there?
Don’t get discouraged if your number is low.
You’re not alone.
My last two blogs have focused on two types of expectations you need to clearly set and, how to make them realistic so they’re not demotivating and/or causing burnout.
Today, I’m going to talk about another aspect of setting expectations (and it can equally apply to our personal lives too).
We need to take into consideration a person’s strengths and capabilities.
It’s so demotivating to be given expectations which require skills that aren’t our strength.
That require skills we know we’re not good at or have no interest in them at all.
For example, when Deb and I were first married, she had the expectation that I could fix things around the house because her dad was extremely good at it.
To be honest, he was a bit of a legend at repairing things.
However, for those of you who know me well, you know I’m not.
I don’t even own a tool set.
At first, Debbie felt let down, and I was disappointed I couldn’t meet her expectations.
However, everything changed when we did the personality profiling test in Florence Littauer’s book, Personality Plus.
My personality is what Florence describes as a Sanguine Choleric – I like being the life of the party and I’m big picture orientated.
I’m not detailed at all.
I don’t like looking at the details.
I’ll delegate this task as much as I can, just ask my team.
Debbie’s father was a Phlegmatic Melancholy, so he was naturally a perfectionist and loved the detail, something I definitely don’t.
Once we understood that, Debbie’s understanding and thus her expectations of me changed, and mine of her, and our relationship was strengthened.
Once we saw the power of Personality Profiling in our personal lives, we began using it in business to better understand those around us and to ensure our expectations are in line with their personality strengths.
All my clients use it too for recruitment and setting expectations for each member of their team.
Often, it’s led to people being moved around (or sometimes out of) their organisational chart to great effect on morale, culture and performance.
So great is the power of understanding the personality strengths and weaknesses of your people.
If you haven’t done so already, can I encourage you to read Florence’s book, Personality Plus? It’s life and business changing.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
I trust it helps you and your people grow your leadership strength to live better lives.
Take care and keep climbing.
Peter (Coxey)
If you’d like my key strategies on how to set clear and realistic expectations, and to utilise personality profiling better in your business, check out my flagship online program, High Performance Team Fundamentals.
