Moshe’s Blog

How Clear Expectations and Accountability Fuel Organizational Success: Start With These 6 Steps

The War, Our World, & Love Over Fear

I wrote this week’s newsletter against the backdrop of the horrific attack of Hamas on Israel, and chose to keep the newsletter as is, but prefaced by this brief note.

This newsletter, like all of the 170+ Amare Wave newsletters, is about the power of love – the energy that uplifts and connects us – in business, leadership, and life. When organizations like Hamas, born out of hatred, proudly commit such atrocities, we see the opposite of love in action. We see what happens when leaders are deeply rooted in fear and totally devoid of love – and this holds regardless of your view of Israel.

We need to acknowledge this reality and do our mourning. We need to say no to being run by fear and YES to aligning with love. Let this serve to only strengthen your commitment to leading with love in your business, in your life, everywhere.

Making Your Expectations Super-Clear

You know the sign at theme parks, right? “You must be this tall to ride this attraction,” along with a horizontal line about 40” off the ground. While shorter kids may hate it (didn’t we all?), at least it is clear and effective at setting expectations. There is no question about what height you need to be, how it’s measured, or what happens if you are below the line.

One of the most mission-critical areas I work on with leadership teams is getting super-clear with their “signs” and expectations. Insufficient clarity produces confusion and a lack of accountability. This frustrates employees, damages trust, reduces commitment, and hurts productivity. Lack of clarity is very expensive.

As important as it is, clarity is not always easy, especially with more nuanced things like poor interpersonal skills and unprofessional behavior. But if you don’t tell your people what is and is not okay and what the consequences are, how will they know? And if you don’t hold them accountable, why should they care?

Consider these tough “look in the mirror” questions:

Are your expectations of your team explicitly defined?

How consistent are you in upholding and enforcing your expectations?

Do your actions mirror the expectations you’ve set for your team?

6 Amare Steps to Set Clear Expectations and Accountability

1. Communicate expectations clearly. Ensure that all expectations, along with the compassionate framework within which they are enforced, are communicated transparently and regularly to all team members. Get feedback to make sure there is real clarity.

2. Identify your non-negotiables. Maybe it’s the dual requirement that everyone must contribute to the overall mission and not be toxic or abusive in any way (or adopt the ‘No Assholes’ rule, per Bob Sutton). Or commit to my Amare Way love-powered leadership manifesto.

3. Engage and involve employees. Create opportunities for employees to be involved in decision-making processes and initiatives that shape and reinforce the organizational culture you desire. People will support what they help to create.

4. Provide capacity-building resources. Implement resources that support team members in meeting expectations, such as mentoring, coaching, and training, as well as motivational programs that reinforce the positive outcomes of accountability.

5. Assess how you do with accountability. Determine three factors, in terms of both perceptions and implementation: a) if and when accountability is taken seriously; b) if it is handled equitably across the organization; and c) whether it is seen as a punitive measure or integrated into a supportive developmental framework.

6. Enforce with consistency and compassion. Ensure that when expectations are not met, consequences are applied consistently and with consideration of individual and cultural differences.

Let’s get to the heart of it: clear expectations pave the way for success. When every team member knows the score and plays by the same rules, you build a foundation that’s solid, fair, and geared for collective achievement. It’s about holding the line and holding out a hand—ensuring standards are met while understanding that the path may look different for each individual. This is Amare love-powered leadership in action.

As a leader, you really can create a culture where expectations are clear, accountability is a shared responsibility, and compassion is a given, where every team member is both a supportive leader and a willing follower. In this balanced and honest environment, your collective efforts will propel you toward greater and greater success.

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