Mindset #3: Setting Clear Standards

In this article, part of the series on driving Operational Excellence through People Development, we explore the critical need to move from implicit expectations to clear, measurable standards. This is the second essential mindset shift that leaders must embrace to ensure consistent and sustainable growth.

The Danger of Implicit Expectations:

Implicit expectations are the unwritten rules or assumptions leaders make about what their employees should be doing. Leaders may feel these expectations are obvious, but to the employees, they are often unclear or misunderstood. This gap can lead to a breakdown in communication, performance issues, and dissatisfaction.

• Consequence: Employees who lack clear, measurable goals often underperform because they’re left guessing what success looks like. This leads to missed deadlines, diminished morale, and the perception that they’re falling short, even when they are making an effort.
• Data Insight: A 2018 Harvard Business Review study found that employees with vague or unclear expectations were 40% less likely to stay at their job for three years or more, highlighting how this ambiguity affects not just performance but also retention.

Why Do Clear Standards Matter?

Training provides the foundation, but real learning happens through continuous practice, feedback, and adaptation. While employees are responsible for applying what they’ve learned, it’s unrealistic to expect them to fully master skills after just one training session. As they encounter new challenges and evolving demands, clear standards help bridge the gap between initial training and ongoing success in these dynamic, real-world environments.

Here’s why clear standards are essential:

• Real-World Complexity: Training covers foundational concepts, but employees encounter more complex, dynamic situations in their daily roles. Leaders need to ensure their teams understand how to apply their knowledge in varied contexts, not just ideal ones.
• Retention and Reinforcement: Without reinforcement and follow-up, knowledge gained from a single training session fades over time. Clear, documented standards allow employees to revisit expectations, refresh their knowledge, and course-correct as they grow.
• Clarity for Accountability: Without clearly communicated expectations, employees are often left guessing about what success looks like. Leaders must lay the groundwork by defining and sharing these standards. This allows for consistent measurement of progress and the ability to hold employees accountable.

Establishing and communicating clear, documented standards of success are fundamental for driving operational excellence. These standards serve as a shared language between leaders and their teams, ensuring alignment, consistency, and accountability.

1. Measurability and Transparency: When expectations are clearly defined, employees understand exactly how their performance is measured. This transparency reduces ambiguity and fosters a greater sense of fairness.
2. Enhanced Accountability: Employees who are aware of the specific, measurable benchmarks they need to meet are more likely to take ownership of their progress. They can better align their efforts with the team’s goals.
3. Development and Growth: Clear standards make it easier to assess individual growth fairly, enabling leaders to offer tailored feedback and support that is based on objective performance rather than assumptions. This also reduces the potential for bias or miscommunication.

When standards are implicit, success becomes subjective. Clear standards turn subjectivity into objectivity, allowing for more focused development and providing the foundation for consistent performance.

When Is the Employee Responsible?

Once clear, measurable standards are in place, employees share the responsibility for their success. They must:

• Seek Clarity: If any part of the expectation is unclear, employees should feel empowered to ask questions and request clarification.
• Engage with Feedback: It’s up to the employee to actively participate in feedback loops, track their progress against defined goals, and take ownership of their development.
• Apply Knowledge: Employees must commit to applying what they’ve learned consistently and address any gaps in their performance.

While leaders create the roadmap for success, employees must engage with it and take responsibility for their growth. When this balance is achieved, teams operate with greater accountability and clarity.

How to Set and Communicate Clear Standards:

To avoid the pitfalls of assuming employees “just know” what success looks like, leaders must take deliberate steps to define and communicate expectations clearly. Here’s how:

1. Define Specific, Measurable Outcomes: For every role or task, create clear performance metrics. Instead of vague instructions like “get familiar with the software,” set measurable goals, such as “complete 3 training modules and demonstrate proficiency in core features by the end of week 2.”
2. Communicate These Expectations Early and Often: Expectations should be communicated not just once during onboarding or training but continuously as tasks evolve. Make it a regular part of conversations and meetings to ensure understanding.
3. Feedback Loops: It’s critical to establish regular check-ins where employees can receive feedback on their progress and adjust accordingly. This keeps expectations alive in everyday conversations, not just annual reviews. Create opportunities for employees to not only receive feedback but also share their thoughts on whether the standards are working for them or if adjustments are needed.
4. Document and Reinforce: Create a centralised, documented framework of what success looks like at each stage of employee development. This provides clarity and consistency, allowing for self-reflection and growth.

Practical Example:

Let’s say a team is responsible for implementing a new CRM system. Instead of the leader assuming that simply “learning the system” is enough, they might outline clear, specific standards such as:

• Completing training modules by specific dates.
• Demonstrating proficiency by independently managing client data within a defined timeframe.
• Troubleshooting basic errors without assistance by a set milestone.

This provides measurable benchmarks, allowing both the leader and the employee to track progress and identify areas for support. As these benchmarks are reached, leaders can adjust the focus, setting new goals or offering additional resources where needed.

Why This Shift is Critical:

Operational excellence thrives on consistency, and consistency is only achievable when everyone knows what is expected of them. Without clear, documented standards, there’s no foundation for measuring progress or identifying areas for improvement. Leaders who clearly articulate these expectations help their teams grow faster, perform better, and achieve higher engagement.

In today’s competitive landscape, vague expectations lead to inconsistent results. Clear standards help employees understand how to move from point A to point B with confidence, ensuring both individual and team success.

Take a moment to assess your team’s performance standards. Have you clearly defined what success looks like for each role? Do your employees know exactly what’s expected of them? If not, start documenting these expectations and communicating them openly to create a shared understanding of what operational excellence requires.

This article is part of our series on Operational Excellence through People Development. Building these clear standards is the first step. In our next article, we’ll explore how leaders can go beyond problem-solving to anticipate and proactively manage potential challenges before they affect performance.