As I look back on my previous roles over the past 25 years, I find one common theme that would lead to me ultimately moving on to a new position: lack of setting and maintaining clear expectations. Some companies in my past did better than others in setting expectations and holding employees accountable, while some flopped from the beginning. But, in each and every circumstance, I would find myself frustrated because at a certain point I felt unsure about what was wanted from me or the expectations simply changed without any communication. As I matured and grew into larger leadership roles, I learned that the best way to avoid this frustration was to ask questions at the beginning of a new task or project, as many questions as I needed to ensure I understood what was expected from me and my team. And, overall this method worked. But, it took me years to understand that I needed to be proactive to find this level of comfort in my positions - a luxury today’s employees don’t always have. And, honestly, even though everyone gives and takes on a team, it is truly the leader’s responsibility to, well, lead their teams.

At first thought, it seems setting and maintaining clear expectations should be an easy thing to do - we tell our employees what we want from them, they do it, and we’re all happy. Right? But, for anybody who has ever been an employee or a leader (so, basically all of us), we know doing this just doesn’t happen. It is in fact, one of the most challenging things to do consistently well. Most of the time miscommunication isn’t any one person’s fault.

We could spend hours discussing miscommunication in the workplace, but instead - let’s talk solution. At Launch Pikes Peak, we develop solutions to support our clients in setting clear expectations from day one. By providing tools such as handbooks, policies & procedures, development planning, etc. companies are eliminating the stress and confusion so many employees face. It is much easier to make decisions that follow a company’s values and culture when the information is laid out in black and white. We also provide leadership and employee training, helping groups and individuals develop the skills necessary to complement the tools.