Expectations. Consciously or subconsciously we all have them. They may be about the day you are going to have, the outcome of the meeting you are about to go into or the meal you are about to eat in the fancy restaurant that has just opened up down the road from your home. Expectations can be met, or sometimes the reality of the experience can fall very short of your desired outcome.
Where do expectations come from? Well, in short they come from our belief system. Our belief system “tells” us how certain things or certain people need to be or act in a certain way. This sounds pretty simple, but it is far from that. Depending on where you are in the world, who you interact with, how you were raised and what media you expose yourself to, all of these experiences add up to every single one of us developing our own unique version of how things need to be done. This makes life tricky, especially if you want to build a cohesive team within your business, where everyone is one hundred percent focused and drives the same action plan in order to achieve the desired goals.
So, as a business owner or manager, how do you get around this? How do you build a strong team and ensure that your team members are the right “fit” within your business? I am sure there are a number of innovative solutions, but here’s one you can try when you’re at that crucial recruitment stage.
Ensuring that your potential new hire is going to fit into your company culture is extremely important and therefore their “fit” suitability should be vetted early, preferably in the interview stage.
Ask your potential new hires what their expectations of the business are. To get a really good idea drill down into specific processes such as;
- What expectations do you have with regards to how your team should communicate? Drill down to understand their idea of what’s acceptable and what’s unacceptable in how team meetings, correspondence and deadlines should be addressed.
- What expectations do you have from your direct supervisor with regards to their management style, one-on-one contact time and their feedback style?
- What expectations do you have with regards to office etiquette and general conduct and behaviour?
Their answers will give you a glimpse into their belief system. How they like to see things being done, and how they would happily and comfortably operate in their ideal working environment.
For instance you might find a person, who fits the qualifications of the job, but they are use to working in a controlled and highly formal environment. Your business, on the other hand might be quite casual and relaxed with less formality and red tape.
The thing to note here, is that there is no wrong or right answer. Its just their belief system. You can now compare their expectations to how things are actually done within your business. If expectations match reality, then this is a tick in the box on the long list of requirements you would probably have in your recruitment process. However, if there is a clash, then it is something to consider quite seriously before bringing the new person on board. Something as simple as not meeting set expectations, can prevent new hires from reaching their potential within a new role. Feeling uncomfortable, unsettled and dangerously out of their comfort zone from the get-go can be damaging and costly to your business.
It’s not just about the qualifications.
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