Leadership and making expectations clear

Have you ever gotten upset at those you lead for not doing something ... that you never asked them to do? We all have.

It is absolutely essential that as we lead others (parents leading their children, bosses leading their employees, pastors leading his congregation, volunteers leading other volunteers, etc.) that we make it clear beforehand what the responsibilities and expectations are. Be very specific and detailed in your explanation.

If we do a good job clarifying our expectations at the beginning, the odds increase greatly that things will go as planned. If we skip that step (or do it poorly), frustration and failure are probably imminent.

As I read through my Bible this morning, I saw this leadership principle clearly illustrated in Number 3-4. Here are some of the headings that were placed over the verses in this section:

"Levites appointed for service"

"Registration of the Levites"

"Redeeming the Firstborn Sons"

"Duties of the Kohathite Clan"

"Duties of the Gershonite Clan"

"Duties of the Merarite Clan"

"Summary of the Registration"

Ordinarily, I may have quickly read through these chapters and thought, "That's boring because it doesn't seem relevant to me."

Yet, when I asked the Holy Spirit to allow me to hear what God was speaking to me in these chapters and then fully engaged my mind in my reading, I saw it! This chapter shows God being the ultimate Leader. He is leaving no room for ambiguity. He is making His expectations clear and is very specific in how things should be done.

This is a necessary component of leadership. If you want the folks you influence to do something with success being the ultimate outcome, then be absolutely clear in your expectations. Be very specific and detailed in how things should happen.

Don't get upset at folks for not doing what you didn't ask them to do.