One of the most important things that an employer needs to know to be a great leader is exactly what it is that he or she wants from the employees working for the business. By getting clear about expectations, the employer can lay out what the employees must do which makes it a heck of a lot easier for employees to meet the needs of the business.

One simple example might be the employer who wants to deter employees from personal Internet use at the office. This is a totally valid request since that time is time that the employee gets paid to waste. However, different employers may want different things from this. Some of those different desires may be:

• The employer doesn’t want employees using the Internet at all for anything that is not strictly work related.
• The employer doesn’t mind if employees spend some time reading blogs and news that might be at least somewhat relevant to work but doesn’t want other websites surfed.
• The employer doesn’t want employees spending too much time on social networking sites during work hours but doesn’t mind chat systems being used. Or vice versa.
• The employer wants to make sure that projects are completed each day before employees spend time online.

These are all very different things. Employers must know what their specific desires are so that they can communicate those desires clearly to their employees. Then employees can see what they have to do to make the boss happy. And if employees can meet those needs then an employer who knows what he really wants will know that it’s time to let the employee go.

Tags: business, employers, kathryn vercillo, management, work