Leadership Institute

Setting Performance Expectations

Learning Formats: Classroom; Comparable Web-Based Course is Performance Planning: Setting Expectations.

Skill Practice Course

Order No. IMEX120

Achieving business results requires aligning an employee's individual goals with overall organizational strategy. Leaders must help people see how their efforts contribute to the success -- or failure -- of the organization.

This course helps leaders drive performance and accountability by helping people understand what is expected of them and gaining their commitment to achieving it. When leaders conduct effective setting expectations discussions, people feel more motivated to perform well because they see how their efforts make a difference.

Do You Face Any of These Issues?

  • Do your leaders struggle with the “human side” of the performance management process?
  • Do they fail to achieve the purpose of expectations discussions -- understanding, alignment, and agreement?
  • Are leaders providing the feedback and support employees need to meet their objectives?
  • Do leaders spend too much time coaching for improvement on people because they aren't committed to their performance plan?

Objectives

Helps leaders:

  • Ensure mutual understanding of performance expectations.
  • Help others identify performance expectations that align with the organization's goals.
  • Gain individual or team commitment to fulfilling the expectations in the performance plan.
  • Handle challenging situations that can arise during setting expectations discussions.

Primary Competency

  • Aligning Performance for Success

Secondary Competencies

  • Building a Successful Team
  • Gaining Commitment
  • Work Standards

Course Overview

  • Discussing Expectations: Learners are introduced to the performance cycle and connect setting effective expectations with achieving the organization's goals and strategies. Leaders share challenges that they have faced in setting expectations discussions. A video uses humor to demonstrate what can go wrong when discussing expectations. Leaders learn the purpose of setting expectations discussions: achieving understanding, alignment, and agreement. Learners discuss the importance of clear expectations and review the criteria for SMART objectives.
  • Doing It Right: Participants review the use of Interaction Process skills to conduct setting expectations discussions. Learners use a Discussion Planner to analyze a model of a leader setting expectations for an objective that is difficult to meet. Participants analyze a model of a leader setting a behavioral expectation to support that objective. (Optional) Leaders prepare and practice leading a setting expectations discussion using the situations they identified in prework.
  • Tracking and Next Steps: Learners review tips for tracking performance. They discuss the importance of STAR and STAR/AR in providing feedback and the opportunities to find STARs. Referring to the challenges of setting expectations discussions they identified earlier, group members develop solutions to address those challenges back in the workplace.

Video Segment Summaries

  • A leader attempts to set expectations with two individuals after his mother, the former head of the company, offers some helpful-and not so helpful-tips.
  • A positive model shows a leader discussing an objective that might be difficult to attain with an individual who reports to her.
  • A leader discusses a behavioral expectation that will be important to achieving the objective. (Optional)

Details

  • Target audience: Frontline leaders through mid-level managers.
  • Course length: 3 hours, 30 minutes. Course can be lengthened with optional activities.
  • Facilitator certification: DDI-certified facilitator required.
  • Prerequisites: Essentials of Leadership.
  • Series: Suitable for all environments.
  • Group Size: 8 to 16 people.
  • Prework: Yes. 20-30 minutes.

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