With the absence of video in a call, you’d think it’d be an easy task to dole out some work.
Truth be told though, if you wait a week to see what happens you’ll come to realize that what you asked for is not what you are getting. Even worst, most likely not when you were expecting to get it.
Setting expectations in person is a simple endeavour, when tasks are assigned we observe the person’s response, their body language, behaviour, eye movements, how they leave the room or write it down.
Even in a video call you won’t capture everything. We all leave the room in the same way, searching for the “Leave Meeting” button in an awkward pause to the corner and out we go. We are all doing it the same way, so how do we know what that person might be thinking?
So how then do you know whether the expectations for the work you asked to get done are being adhered to and followed? As to whether what you ask for will get done as prescribed?
You don’t.
Even email confirmations don’t work because they get lost in the onslaught of incoming requests.
I lose instant messages every week and find them buried somewhere else later on.
So how do you know your Expectations are being listened to?
I can list a dozen ways, I can list the ways I do it differently for each person on my team, I can go through who I follow-up with a few days later and who I don’t need to.
It’s different for everyone, just like everyone’s reactions to what you ask them to do.
A One-Size fits all approach to defining expectations has never and will never worked, right now, while you are remote, you need to find what works for each person on your team, if you really want to get that project done.
