"They Should Know That" Is Not a Management Strategy
"I shouldn't have to tell them that."
Every manager has thought it.
An employee fails to follow up with a customer. Someone makes a decision you expected them to discuss with you first. A deadline passes without warning. Work comes back that looks nothing like what you expected.
Your immediate reaction is understandable:
They should know better.
Maybe they should.
But before deciding that you have a performance problem, there's another question worth asking:
Did they actually know what I expected, or did it simply seem obvious to me?
Those aren't the same thing.
Your Expectations Live Inside Your Head
Managers operate with dozens of expectations they've accumulated through experience.
You know what "urgent" means.
You know how polished something should be before a customer sees it.
You know when you want an employee to make a decision independently and when you expect to be consulted.
You know what "keep me informed" means.
At least, you know what those things mean to you.
Your employee may have a completely different interpretation.
That's where frustration begins.
Unspoken expectations eventually become unfair expectations.
Clarity Is a Bigger Problem Than Managers Realize
Gallup's well-known Q12 employee engagement assessment begins with a remarkably basic statement:
"I know what is expected of me at work."
You'd think organizations would have mastered that one.
Yet Gallup research cited in this week's newsletter found that fewer than half of employees strongly agree that they know what's expected of them at work.
That's remarkable.
Employees can be intelligent, hardworking, motivated people and still perform poorly when they're aiming at a target they can't clearly see.
The problem is that ambiguity doesn't always look like confusion.
People stay busy.
Meetings happen.
Emails get answered.
Projects move forward.
Then something goes wrong and the manager discovers that two people have been operating with completely different definitions of success.
"Do a Great Job" Isn't an Expectation
Managers frequently use words that sound specific but aren't.
"Be more proactive."
"Take ownership."
"Communicate better."
"Keep me informed."
"Be responsive."
Those phrases describe good qualities.
They don't tell someone what those qualities look like.
Instead of:
"Keep me informed."
Try:
"If you believe the project is at risk of missing its deadline, tell me as soon as you recognize the risk. Don't wait until the day it's due."
Instead of:
"Take more ownership."
Try:
"When you bring me a problem, come with at least one recommendation for what you think we should do."
Now the employee doesn't have to interpret what you mean.
They can act on it.
Important Things Shouldn't Depend on "They Should Know"
Atul Gawande explored this idea in The Checklist Manifesto.
Pilots don't use checklists because they don't know how to fly.
Surgeons don't use checklists because they don't know medicine.
Complex work contains enough moving parts that even highly capable people can overlook important things.
The lesson for managers is simple.
If something truly matters, don't leave it to memory, interpretation, or assumption.
Make it clear.
Try This Today
Think about one person who reports to you.
Now ask yourself:
What are the five most important things I expect from this person?
Could they write the same five?
That's the test.
You might discover that an expectation you've been frustrated about has never actually been communicated as clearly as you thought.
That's useful information.
You discovered the ambiguity before it became an accountability problem.
The next time you hear yourself thinking, They should know that, catch yourself.
Maybe they should.
But if it matters enough to disappoint you when they don't, it matters enough to make sure they do.
Your team shouldn't have to read your mind to do a great job.