In the classic I Love Lucy clip depicted above, Lucy and Ethel are working in a chocolate factory where the duo must wrap candies on a conveyor belt. To make matters worse, their supervisor has set expectations that “if one piece of candy gets past you and into the packing room unwrapped, you’re fired!” As the candies come out, the ladies can’t keep up with the pace and ultimately stuff the chocolate balls into their hats, mouths, and outfits. When the supervisor returns and sees everything seemingly running like clockwork, she happily yells – much to Lucy’s dismay – “Speed it up a little!”
Obviously the show is meant as comedic relief, but there are many valuable lessons that translate to the business world. In the Lucy clip, the supervisor should have realized the speed of the belt was faster than even the quickest worker could handle, and therefore expectations were not realistic. As David Goldsmith states in his book, Paid to Think, “leaders often blame others for mediocre output, when in reality, the blame lies with the leader’s mediocre systems and structures that cap the potential of individuals and organizations.”
How do you know if your expectations are achievable or out-of-touch?
Here are a few key tips, easily implementable, which practiced regularly will yield positive results:
Communicate Clearly
Follow-up with your team to ensure they truly understand the vision and/or goals. What may seem straight-forward to you could get lost in translation. Recognize that people learn differently, either visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), or kinesthetic (feeling), and tailor your message accordingly.
Inspect What You Expect
This step is critical. Do not assume simply because your direction was clear and the team on board that you are getting the results you expect. Everyone has competing priorities and things tend to get put off. Or, perhaps the tools, systems, processes, and training in place are not allowing your team to get it done as you thought. Checking in early and seeing if the results match your expectations allows you to ensure things are moving in the right direction and gives ample time to course correct if necessary.
For example:
- New service program put in place to improve client satisfaction? Pick up the phone and call a handful of clients every couple weeks to gauge their sentiments. Check your survey scores after 30, 60, and 90 days to see if the results are trending in the right direction.
- You asked a team member to resolve an urgent issue with an upset client. Did it happen? Or will you find out 30 days later, when it’s too late, that the client is leaving because the issue wasn’t addressed?
- Mandatory training due for everyone by end of month? Check in a week early to ensure progress is being made. An associate may have the best intentions to complete but other more urgent priorities are getting in the way. You can help move work to other team members or reprioritize.
Peel Back the Onion
Inspecting what you expect is only part of the equation. You must also peel back the onion. In other words, when following up with your team, don’t settle for a superficial first answer. Ask probing open-ended questions to get to a deeper layer of understanding. You may discover something you didn’t initially consider or realize that is hindering the team.
In closing, you can’t assume. A race car might have the ability to zoom over the track at breakneck speeds but a flat tire can quickly spoil the day. Make sure your team understands the vision and has the necessary tools to get the job done.