The Unbearable Lightness of Leadership
In the corporate world, leadership often bears an invisible weight—the pressure of unspoken expectations. Briefly, these unspoken leadership expectations are the unstated expectations that leaders project onto their teams. Expectations their team members (and the leaders themselves) are probably unaware of.
This article aims to shed light on the impact of those unspoken, and therefore often unknown, expectations, examining their psychological effects on teams, outlining strategies to bring them into the light of day and emphasizing the importance of effective communication to obtain a shared understanding and alignment of workplace goals (and expectations).
Unspoken assumptions
Unspoken expectations lead to assumptions by leadership that can distort understanding between individuals and create disconnects between reality and our expectations of reality. These assumptions arise from various sources—such as cultural norms, past experiences, and our natural ability to infer others’ intentions.
For example, a leader may assume his team comprehends the company’s strategic goals but without clearly articulating them, while team members might interpret those goals very differently based on their perspectives and experience. Such misalignments, though unintentional, can lead to confusion, diminished morale, and even interpersonal conflict.
The psychological effects
The psychological toll of these unspoken expectations on teams can be profound. When team members are unclear about their responsibilities, or even worse, have a different understanding of their responsibilities, stress and anxiety may increase, resulting in lower productivity and engagement.
This ambiguity and conflicting understanding can also erode trust in leadership, as employees may feel they are being set up for failure. In such an environment, innovation may be stifled, and the organization’s ability to address challenges and seize opportunities may be compromised.
These negative effects arise when leadership finally realises that their staff are not doing what they expect.
Strategies to highlight expectations
To address these challenges, leaders must work to make highlight their expectations to their staff.
Foster a culture of open communication where goals and responsibilities are clearly outlined, and dialogue is encouraged.
Leaders can use methods like regular one-on-one meetings, structured meeting agendas, and clear, precise language.
Obtain a shared understanding of leader-team expectations.
Effective communication is pivotal for aligning team goals with organizational objectives.
Leaders should not only express their own expectations but also take the time to understand the expectations of their team members. This two-way dialogue cultivates a sense of inclusion and commitment, as team members feel heard and valued. Techniques like collaborative decision-making and feedback loops can further enhance team cohesion and alignment.
Establish and implement well-defined workplace relationship and task boundaries to create an empowering environment that promotes others’ psychological and workplace empowerment.
The power of aligned expectations
In summary, the weight of unspoken expectations presents a considerable but manageable challenge for leaders. By identifying and addressing these unstated assumptions - leaders can cultivate a culture of transparency, engagement, and shared understanding. Activities like strengthening communication skills, setting and maintaining workplace boundaries, embracing mindfulness, and practicing self-reflection can also help to highlight this invisible weight.
The result is, hopefully, a team perfectly aligned to leadership expectations, and now empowered to reach their full potential.