When a manager complains that their employees aren’t meeting expectations, I ask them how they are tasked. Often the manager will say they make their expectations clear, only to find that the employee limits their work only to what was literally requested. When a request to identify new vendors for an upcoming conference resulted in a one-page list of names, the manager was dismayed that their expectations were not met. Why were these vendors chosen? What value would they add?

In a similar situation, an employee was asked to research locations for their branch office in another city. Weeks later the employee came back with an elaborate PowerPoint deck complete with photos, maps, and animation recommending five locations. While the employee providing vendor names didn’t offer enough information, the employee looking into office locations provided more information than the manager expected, took too long to complete the task and presented the information in a format that wasn’t usable to the manager. A spreadsheet would have sufficed.

I can imagine both the managers and the employees in these situations being frustrated. While some staff may be lazy and try to get away with just doing the minimum, I find most employees don’t want to disappoint their manager. For their part, the managers think they are giving clear instructions but don’t appreciate that the task is complex and staff may need more guidance.

For some managers, specifying every detail of what they expect is too time consuming; they throw their arms up in the air and say it is easier to do it themselves. But it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing scenario.

The manager can start at the end — that is, telling the employee what the goal (or product) of the task is — but if expectations are to be met, the manager should review with the employee the key factors to be considered, how they plan to approach the task, when the task is to be completed, and what the final product should include.

In the new branch office example, the manager could help the employee define the criteria for selection, such as square footage, public transit accessibility, timing of availability, and cost. The manager should also discuss expectations for how the information could be presented. Would a criteria matrix that compares each site side by side suffice or would a written report with photos be better?

Managers cannot expect employees to be mind readers when they assign a task. For their part, employees have an obligation to obtain clarification if the manager has offered few details and should seek feedback periodically to ensure they are meeting the manager’s expectations. Providing clarity before the task is begun avoids misunderstanding, frustration, and rework for both manager and employee.