It has been a challenge to motivate myself to sit down and write this on a sunny Bank holiday weekend, especially as I am just about to head off to the Lakes for some well earned R&R! However, this very conflict leads me to my first point: Know your outcome!

Last week I said that I would give you some tips on how to communicate your expectations clearly and explicitly, but before we even get into communication strategies we have to accept that we must also manage the inner game. It is vital that we know what our outcome is. For instance; are you aiming to increase visibility for some reason or are you focused on increasing team productivity to hit targets or are you running your own business and focused on remaining profitable in a down turn? Whatever the reason, make sure that it is front of mind when you are communicating your expectations. Why? Because the power of your reasons ‘why’ will be communicated in your non-verbal body language and it is vital that you as a Leader remain congruent. If you don’t make a choice to do this, your non-verbal communication will be saying whatever is in your mind ‘did I pick up the dry cleaning this weekend’ or ‘isn’t this obvious, do I have to spell it out?’ Retain your power by focusing on your outcome. I’ll tell you mine at the end!

So, down to basics then, here are some tips on how to communicate your expectations clearly and effectively.

1. Define the task and the output. Tell the person what they have to do and how you expect the results to look. Take time to agree clear targets, goals and objectives
2. Make sure that the person has relevant experience. If you are not sure – ask!
3. Set the boundaries. What are the rules and constraints
4. Explain what resources are available i.e. money, people, materials, tools
5. Ask for feedback, try to elicit any reservations
6. Set a deadline and schedule
7. Be explicit about the measures/metrics and check for progress as you go along. Measure at intervals as well as at the end. Develop a progress chart if necessary that you and the team can use a monitoring tool
8. Be clear about the consequences for performance and non-performance – are there any bonuses/rewards or incentives?

The above list might sound like text book management-speak. However, how many of us really communicate in this way? And, as I said last week - the source of our frustration is often that our expecatons havent been met and this is often becaseu we havent communiated clealry eanough!

I promised to tell you what my outcome is for writing this blog. To reach as many women leaders as I can reach in my life-time through various channels that make it easy for them to access this information.

Would that be a better motivator than ‘Oh, boy I have to write another blog when it’s 22 degrees outside’

Please pass this on if you found it useful

With passion!
Tracey

Everywhere I go I am hearing that performance management is key in the current climate. Many of our clients are under-going radical change and dealing with cut-backs/downsizing/merging or, at the very least, planning a new future with a more values based culture.

To address this need I am using the next few weeks to bring you 7 tools for increasing effectiveness. If you have access to an intranet site then please add the blog to the site or pass to your women’s networks in other ways.

This is not, of course, only necessary for women. These are essential leadership skills and so please do share them with your teams as well.

I was taught these tips by Keith Cunningham who made $100 million in the 1980’s, lost it all by 1991 and then made his entire net worth back again in 3 or 4 years. For more on Keith click here
www.keystothevault.com

Rules of the game: Number 1, communicate your expectations clearly and explicitly

If you are a leader who relishes processes and systems, then you may be thriving in this environment. However, I know there are a whole swathe of leaders who tend to be right-brained (intuitive and instinctive) by nature and don’t relish the idea of being buttoned down to KPI’s (key performance indicators)

I am also right brained. I love to rely on my imagination and instinct. As Einstein said – ‘imagination is more important than knowledge’ However, I know my weaknesses as well as my strengths and part of my job as a leader is to manage my weaknesses. Don’t try to make your weaknesses into strengths but don’t ignore them either. In other words play to your strengths and remember to manage the downside. As Benjamin Frankiln said ‘a small leak sinks a great ship.’

So, what do we do when we know that everything depends on how quickly and efficiently we deliver on our projects?

Rule number 1 is communicate.

If you have been on any of my programmes you will know what your bevioural drivers are. If you haven’t been on a programme it is easy to assess your drivers on the internet – just type into Google ‘Transactional analysis, Drivers’ and you will find on-line forms for eliciting this key information. Make sure you get coaching if you do this because it is important to understand the difference between learned behaviours and psycholgy. In other words know and understand what can you change and what you can't.

If you have a ‘hurry up’ driver then you must pay particular attention to this because your natural tendency may be to steam ahead and leave your team behind. However, we all do this to a certain extent. If you notice yourself getting irritated some of the time, it simply means that your expectations haven’t been met. Take this another step back and it could be that you haven’t communicated your expectations clearly enough.

Communicating expectations clearly and explicitly takes time and patience. What does the output look like? What are the key performance indicators? Be very explicit, not just about the activities that produce the cash but the activities that lead to better team work and better relationships in general. Be clear about the result you expect and the timeframe that you expect that result to be delivered in.

For practical tips on how to communicate your expectations clearly and explicitly watch out for next weeks blog.

With passion!
Tracey

I was asked for my 'expert' opinion for a Sunday Times article that ran last weekend on why so many women are opting to take the redundancy money and run. If you would like to see the piece which includes expert opinions from myself, Sarah Churchman who is Head of Diversity at Price Waterhouse Coopers and Gwen Rhys who is Chief Exective of Women in the City, please email me for a copy at tracey@eve-olution.net. The rest of the article can be found here.

Companies that are taking a short term view on this subject will face extreme talent shortages in the years that lie ahead. Money won't fix the problem either because women are rarely motivated by money alone. It takes 10 years of consistent effort to reach parity at senior levels. It can be done and has been done by Deloitte in the US who save $170 million a year on recruitment costs.

Whether you are leaving or staying in the corporate world, now is the time to take yourself very seriously indeed. True leaders will be emerging already. Those are the people who look as though they are in control, who are poised to take the big roles that fall out of the chaos. Who exude an air of confidence (not aggression) and look unruffled and charismatic. How do they achieve presence at such a time? There are only 3 things that matter: Physical, emotional and mental capacity.

Leaders now know that in order to remain focussed in a recession they must have a strong body. Being fit and healthy is the best thing you can do for yourself in a crisis. Also, as I mentioned in my last blog - those people who truly know themselves - their values/beliefs/strengths and weaknesses will know how to control and maintain presence by focussing on the inner game.

In taking care of your physical and emotional health you will have the foundation necessary to be flexible. In times of radical change this is an essential skill. Take the time to up-skill, learn how to be flexible and more entrepreneurial. Continuing education gives you options and choices about your future. Remember, there is nothing more common than unrewarded technical expertise. Think about McDonalds for a second - is that a nice place to eat? Do they serve good food?

McDonalds has made more money than anybody else in their industry in the history of mankind. It’s not about 'what' you do. It’s about 'how' you do it. You can’t play the game unless you understand the game.

If you want to learn more about all this then please come on my next seminar - June 17/18th Click here for more information.

You can also find out more about new video webcasts coming soon.