Clarify Expectations: Eliminate Guesswork for Your Team

How to move from ‘implied’ instructions to ‘explicit’ alignment.

I recall a specific moment early in my career working with a team on a high-pressure deadline. I gave what I thought were precise instructions. ‘We need a brief summary by Friday,’ I said. I felt confident. I assumed we were aligned.

Friday arrived. One team member sent three lines in an email. Another delivered a ten-page report with appendices. Neither person was wrong. I was the problem. I had failed to define what ‘brief’ meant. I assumed they held the same picture in their heads that I held in mine.

That experience taught me a hard lesson. Ambiguity is not freedom; it is anxiety in disguise. When we force people to guess, we steal their confidence. Over decades of working in complex organisations, I found that clarity is the kindest thing a leader can offer.

Key Takeaways

• Ambiguity creates a hidden tax on productivity. When teams must guess your intent, they waste energy on ‘mind-reading’ instead of problem-solving.
• Explicit definitions prevent conflict. Borrowing concepts like the ‘Definition of Done’ aligns the final output with the initial request.
• Verification is the leader’s responsibility. Asking, ‘Does that make sense?’ is ineffective; use back-briefing to ensure true understanding.

The Hidden Tax of Ambiguity

Leaders often have a vivid picture of success in their minds. But we rarely transmit that picture intact. We rely on people ‘reading the room’. This creates a tax on productivity. We must measure the gap between our vision and the team’s output. This is where a ‘Clarity Audit’ becomes necessary.

Most performance issues are actually clarity issues. I have seen leaders blame teams for ‘poor execution’ when the directive was vague. This creates a cycle of frustration. The leader feels let down. The employee feels set up to fail.

Moving from ‘implied’ to ‘explicit’ leadership is not micromanagement. It is an act of empathy. It reduces the mental weight your team carries. It allows them to focus on the work, not the politics of the request.

• Visualisation Gap: The distance between your mental image and your verbal instruction.
• Execution Lag: Time lost while the team debates what you actually wanted.
• Emotional Cost: The anxiety caused by fear of getting it wrong.

The Cost of Cognitive Ambiguity

When teams have to guess expectations, they burn energy. This is unnecessary ‘cognitive load’. It stops them from doing the actual work. Research shows role ambiguity is a major cause of workplace stress.

In remote settings, this stress amplifies. There are no visual cues. You cannot see a furrowed brow on a Slack message. The team is left staring at a screen, wondering what ‘good’ looks like. This uncertainty drains their reserves.

We also have a ‘psychological contract’ with our teams. This is the unwritten set of expectations between employee and employer.

• Violation Cycle: A leader fails to verbalise a standard.
• Assumption: The employee assumes a different standard.
• Rejection: The leader rejects the work based on the unspoken rule.
• Erosion: Trust breaks down because the goalposts moved invisibly.

The ‘Curse of Knowledge’ and Inauthentic Leadership

We assume everyone has our context. This is the ‘curse of knowledge’. It is a cognitive bias where we forget that others do not know what we know. I used to hide my specific formatting needs. I thought it made me a ‘micromanager’.

I wanted to appear easy-going. I thought giving vague instructions was ’empowering’. In reality, it made me difficult to please. Hiding standards is inauthentic. This behaviour traps the team. They have to rely on hints rather than facts.

True vulnerability involves admitting, ‘I have a specific way I need this done for a strategic reason.’ This honesty builds authentic leadership presence.

• The Trap: Hiding preferences to seem flexible.
• The Reality: Clear is kind; unclear is unkind.
• The Fix: State your constraints upfront.

The Clarity Audit: Frameworks for Alignment

We need tools to fix this. We must shift focus from managing steps to managing results. I found success borrowing from software development. Use a ‘Definition of Done’ (DoD). This moves requests from subjective to objective.

Instead of saying ‘do a good job’, use a checklist. For example, ‘must include an executive summary and three scenarios’. This removes the guesswork. It gives the team a target they can hit.

I also recommend the CPQQ Method for assigning work. It forces the leader to think before speaking.

• Context: Why are we doing this? (The Strategy).
• Purpose: What problem solving does this address?
• Quality: What does ‘good’ look like? (Draft vs. Polished).
• Quantity: How much data or length is required?

Modern Nuances: Neurodiversity and Remote Work

Explicit instructions are the gold standard for neurodiverse teams. Vague metaphors can be confusing. Literal, precise instructions benefit everyone. This inclusion through precision lifts the performance of the whole group.

In our current digital world, ‘reading the room’ is impossible. You cannot rely on osmosis. We must move toward ‘handbook-first’ documentation. If expectations are not written, they do not exist.

Clear boundaries create safety. Teams feel safer experimenting when they know the fences. Knowing the constraints builds hybrid team trust.

• Written over Spoken: Document decisions to avoid memory lapses.
• Literal Language: Avoid idioms that might confuse.
• Defined Boundaries: Safety comes from knowing the limits.

Closing the Loop: Verification Techniques

Never ask, ‘Does that make sense?’. It is a lazy question. Employees will always say ‘yes’ to avoid looking incompetent. It creates a false positive. You walk away thinking you agree, but you do not.

The fix is the ‘back-brief’. Ask the team member to restate the goal in their own words. Ask them to outline their first step. This confirms they understood the intent, not just the words.

I also encourage leaders to write a ‘User Manual’. This document explains your style. It defines how you like to receive information.

• The Back-Brief: ‘Can you play that back to me so I know I was clear?’
• User Manuals: Define response times and preferred channels.
• Active Verification: Test for understanding of communication skills.

Conclusion: Silence is Not Agreement

Silence does not mean they understand. It often means they are waiting. Ambiguity acts as a brake on team velocity. It slows down decision-making. It causes rework.

I encourage you to perform a ‘Clarity Audit’ on your next three directives. Check your CPQQ. Ask for a back-brief. See if the output improves.

Clarity is the ultimate form of respect. It respects your team’s time. It respects their talent. It treats them as professionals who want to succeed.

Wrapping Up

Eliminating guesswork is not about control. It is about alignment. By conducting a Clarity Audit and using tools like the CPQQ method, you reduce anxiety and increase speed. Clear expectations are the foundation of a healthy, high-performing team.

🌱 Clarify Expectations: The Growthenticity Connection

The core ideas explored in this article aren’t just isolated concepts; they deeply resonate with the principles of what I call ‘Growthenticity’:

‘The continuous, integrated process of becoming more oneself (authentic) through leading with questions, learning through action, and growing by embracing uncertainty and imperfection, all fuelled by curiosity.’

Asking ‘Am I being clear?’ is an act of vulnerability. It admits that you might not have been perfect the first time. It invites reflective practice in your daily leadership. By seeking clarity, you move away from the ego of assuming you are right. You move towards the curiosity of ensuring understanding.

This approach transforms a directive into a dialogue. It turns a task into a moment of connection. When you define expectations explicitly, you are being your authentic self. You are not hiding behind vague corporate language. You are leading with intention and helping your team grow through clear action.

👉 Check out my free and paid Substack offerings at Lead, Learn, Grow. You can further explore concepts like ‘Growthenticity’. You will also gain access to practical tools and connect with a supportive community. This community focuses on encouraging authentic and impactful growth.

Join us as we unpack these ideas and support each other on our journeys.

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Your Turn

When was the last time a project failed because the ‘definition of done’ wasn’t shared? How would you handle that situation differently today?