Working in the absence of a clear understanding of what is expected of you, is a lot like walking around in the dark in a strange hotel room at 3:00 in the morning; sooner or later you are going to get hurt.

Thus a critical necessity in any subordinate-boss relationship, is the subordinate’s need to reach some basic understanding concerning their expectations for your performance. Some bosses will make this easy by taking the initiative, while others will not. If your boss does not, the initiative must be yours.

What are your exact goals, objectives, and metrics that will serve as the basis for judging your performance? In many cases your boss will not be very specific which opens the door for you to press. Don’t settle for: “I expect you to do a good job”; or “make your numbers”; or “just keep things running as smoothly as they are”; or “just fix what’s broken”.

What does a good job look like to your boss, what constitutes a smooth operation in their view, what measures matter most, or what exactly do they think is broken? Achieving this clarity may take a few conversations but the goal is worth it because you are helping to determine the criteria against which you will be judged. Your goal is to define these expectations in observable and measurable terms. “I’ll know it when I see it” may sound cute but leaves you with an invisible target.

Think of this process as a negotiation. While in the end, your boss get’s to have the final say concerning how your performance will be judged, you want the end result — as much as you can influence it — to be a set of observable and measurable criteria you feel confident you can achieve. No sense trying to impress your superior by agreeing to criteria that you know are beyond your reach.

Now let’s look the second part of setting expectations; the follow-up. The onus is on you to make sure the boss is kept up to speed on your progress toward agreed upon objectives. This is especially true when things are not going as smoothly as your hoped or when you conclude that your objectives are no longer realistic. The goal is to avoid surprises on either side.

Honest, straight-forward, and frank conversations with a boss regarding expectations and performance work best. Avoid complaining, whining, or misleading. Telling it straight usually works out better in the long run. If you work for a good manager, they will not expect you to be perfect or to never make mistakes. But they will expect you to fix what you break and learn from the mistakes you make.

Remember your boss has performance expectations of their own. To the degree that meeting your performance expectations helps the boss meet theirs, you forge a mutually reinforcing partnership that helps you both.

UPDATED April 2026

Categories: Exercising Responsibility, Managing & Leading

Tags: effective management and leadership, effective managers and leaders, Managing & Leading, managing up, Self-Management