Leadership Isn’t Guesswork: The Cost Of Unclear Expectations

A couple of days ago, I found myself talking with one of our dojo parents. She shared that she’d recently left her job after running headfirst into her organization’s shaky approach to performance evaluations. It only took a few questions for me to see the real issue: their system was missing some critical components that every solid performance management process needs.

It reminded me of a class I once taught on performance management. I explained to the group that while feedback can, and should, happen anytime, there are three essential points where it must happen:

1. Initial feedback: where the supervisor reviews the job description and duties, and sets clear expectations for performance.
2. Mid-term feedback: a check-in at the halfway point to discuss how the employee is measuring up. This is where gaps can be addressed and improvement plans laid out if needed.
3. Final evaluation: the formal report that lands in the employee’s permanent record.

​During that class, one of the students shared that she had recently completed an evaluation on one of her team members. Their rating system ran from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. I asked if she had used the three-step process I’d just laid out. She said she had.

So I asked, “What rating did your employee get?”
She said, “A 4.”
I followed up: “Did she not meet the expectations you set at the start?”
“Oh, she met the expectations,” the student said, “but I felt she needed to do more to get a 5.”

Then I asked the question that cut to the heart of the issue:
“How much more?”

That’s when it all clicked. If we as leaders keep moving the line, or never clearly draw one in the first place, how can someone ever know how well they’re doing? This doesn’t just create confusion. It breeds frustration, burnout, and can drive good people right out the door…like the mom who’d sparked this entire conversation.

As we talked through this, I saw the weight of realization hit her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She thought she was pushing her team member to grow. But in reality, she had unwittingly hurt her career by giving her a rating that could limit her advancement, despite meeting every expectation set.

This is where the facilitation side of my teaching style matters. We paused the session to give everyone a moment to process. Leadership isn’t just theory, it’s personal, and it impacts real people. Right then and there, she picked up the phone, called her team member, and apologized. That was growth in action: recognizing a misstep, taking responsibility, and making it right.

The Leadership Lessons

• Draw clear lines. If people don’t know exactly what’s expected, they’ll never know how to measure success or improvement.
• Hold to the standard you set. Don’t change the goalposts without communicating why and how.
• Feedback is a tool, not a weapon. Used well, it guides growth. Used poorly, it demoralizes and damages trust.
• Real leadership means owning mistakes. That student grew more as a leader in the five minutes it took to make that call than many do in years.

At the end of the day, leadership isn’t about keeping people guessing; it’s about giving them a clear path to succeed, grow, and trust you enough to follow. Draw the line. Communicate it. Then stand by it. That’s how you build teams, and people who thrive.

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