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knows what he/she is doing if they are going to follow him/her. Having a
winning track record is the surest way to be considered competent. 132

The type of competence that followers look for seems to vary with the

leader’s position and the condition of the organization. For example, the
higher the rank of the leader, the more people demand to see demonstrated
abilities in such competencies as strategic planning and decision-making.
133

Clarifies expectations

Closely tied to the competency of delivering results is meeting
expectations. However, before one can satisfactorily meet expectations,
one must first know what they are. One of the biggest problems in
relationships is the lack of understanding of expectations. Unclear or
ambiguous expectations regarding desired results undermine

communication and trust. They need to be discussed and validated as soon
as possible in all relationships, and particularly in professional settings. If
necessary and possible, they can be renegotiated. It should never be
assumed that expectations are clear to others or shared by others. The
concept of "seek first to understand, then to be understood" is one of The 7

Habits of Highly Effective People. 134

Almost all conflict is a result of violated expectations. Blaine Lee.

Sometimes it is good to be reminded that the people you work with are not
mind readers. They may not be clearly aware of your expectations of them.
The more clearly you can articulate and demonstrate your expectations, the
more satisfied you will be when it comes to their performance and your

working relationships.

A clearly articulated set of employee expectations may seem like
unnecessarily stating the obvious to many people. However, it is important

132 James Kouzes and Barry Posner. The Leadership Challenge: How to Get Extraordinary Things Done
in Organizations. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1987, p.19.
133 James Kouzes and Barry Posner. The Leadership Challenge: How to Get Extraordinary Things Done in
Organizations. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1987, p.19.
134 Stephen Covey. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster; 1998:
pp.146–182.

David Kolzow 114