If Expectations Aren’t Written Down, They Don’t Exist
This new hire wasn’t the problem.
That became obvious halfway through the coaching call. The frustration was real for sure. Tasks weren’t being done right, training was unstructured and essentially just answering a non-stop list of questions throughout the day, and there was a growing sense that “we’re reliving the same bad hire all over again.”
But then we zoomed out. There were:
- No written expectations.
- No onboarding checklist.
- No training standard.
- No tech setup requirements.
So here’s the truth: if expectations only live in your head, they aren’t real to your team. And if they’re only shared verbally, they disappear the second the conversation ends.
What’s worse, when expectations are invisible, accountability feels personal. Every correction sounds like criticism. Every feedback session turns into tension. That’s how relationships erode.
We flipped the script using the “championship formula.” I walked the client through a specific category of the framework:
Equipment
which includes the tools, technology, training, and resources every team member needs to succeed.
The fix wasn’t complicated. They drafted a short checklist of the minimum requirements for team setup.
Simple things like:
• You must use a two monitor setup.
• You must have a designated work space with reliable internet
• You must follow an onboarding workflow (training videos, policy walkthroughs, etc.)
Being clear in your expectations creates a professional standard. And when you frame expectations as company standards instead of personal requests, everything shifts.
You’re no longer saying “I need you to do this for me.”
You’re saying “This is what the role requires.” And if someone doesn’t want to meet the standard, they can opt out without blame.
The takeaway here is this: If you want to stop repeating bad hires, stop winging expectations.
- Define the role.
- Set the standard.
- Let the system do the talking.
