A phrase I was taught a long time ago came to mind recently in my conversation with another manager who was experiencing some challenges. “Inspect what you expect.” Often times after you train someone to do a particular job OR if someone has been doing the same job for a number of years, you tend to assume all is well. You trained them, right? They did it for the first few weeks just fine when you observed them, right? So why would something change? Well…people are people. The new employee may have been doing everything well, but a few months later after coming back from a week of vacation, he suddenly inadvertently began skipping one of the steps in the process you taught them. The customer service representative’s tone was great when you trained her, but now she rushes through the calls and the customer feels like a number. The relationship manager decided after a few years to remove some of the pages of the presentation he didn’t feel were important any longer. The examples go on and on. If you no longer periodically inspect, you miss the opportunity to make these important corrections. To achieve the best results, you must inspect what you expect. Every plan and strategy associated with a goal should be monitored and inspected to ensure proper execution and achievement. Good project management comes from inspecting what you expect. Great leaders walk the floor. Leaders who don’t walk the floor become disconnected and later find that things are not happening as they expected. You should check in regularly, see what’s going on—walk the floor. You have to regularly ensure the appropriate measures are being put in place to achieve the desired outcomes. Expect Set expectations. Always be clear about expectations. Be as specific as possible. Use measurements of volumes, dollars, incident rates, hours, cost savings, time to answer calls; the list goes on. The expectations you give will help determine the outcomes you get. Be Consistent Keep inspections consistent; you don’t know exactly when something is going to get off track. Keep communication open and two-way. Be transparent and don’t beat around the bush. Share results – when good and even when not so good. Stay Visible Employees need to know you are engaged and involved in the review process. Don’t get stuck behind your office door. Show your teams you are active and engaged. Be around them. Answer their questions. Motivate them. Remember: you are a leader guiding the mission to the final outcome. Be available to talk it through with those who have questions. Walk the floor. If your team is spread out geographically, remain visible with the right frequency of check-in and team meetings. Use videoconferencing (visible) rather than phone calls when you can’t be there in person. Let your team know that part of executing the mission is conducting consistent reviews of what’s going on (inspections). Ask yourself these questions: When was the last time I listened to recorded lines to check the customer service quality levels of my team? When was the last time I reviewed a report for quality that is issued to customers by my team? When was the last time I accompanied an employee on a sales or relationship visit? When was the last time I asked an employee to review their processes with me? Am I inspecting what I am expecting?