What my team told me their expectations of me are...

Every 18 months, I share a list of expectations for my team. Then they are asked to send their expectations of me. This year it occurred to me that making an info-graphic of their keywords from their expectations would be a reminder of what the team expects of me. Below are my expectations. As a note of context, my role is as a software quality manager for a team of about 22. Does anyone else do something similar?

My Goal for you – our QA team. Individually & Collectively

• Develop our team’s capacity to combine insight and foresight in order to continually deliver quality and value to our customers; past, present, and future.

• To “know”, “appreciate”, and “promote” quality everywhere we spend our two most valuable non-returnable investments – time & attention.

• To get known defects under 100 for our lines of business by Christmas 2016! 

Customers and Partner

• Manifest customer service, results oriented behavior in everything you do. Hit every commitment made. This defines who we are as individuals and an organization, and establishes our credibility. Without credibility, as a team or as an individual, we have nothing.

Teamwork

• Work as a team. As a lead or a follower when necessary. Leverage skills and talents of your peers. Never ask something of someone else that you yourself are not willing to do.

• Share success and share your time, skills, and knowledge. The latter is one of the few things in life you can give away, yet still retain. Be generous / have an abundance mentality.

Quality and Speed

• Every ‘service we provide’, ‘function we perform’, ‘line of business we support’ and ‘product we build’ is to be of exceptional quality and delivered with incredible speed. Not sometimes, but every time.

Peak Performance

• Deliver high performance, all the time.

• Compete with yourself to get better at the value you provide and take personal responsibility for your knowledge capital.

Agility and Flexibility

• Be open-minded, flexible, and explore new ideas so as to find ways to make them work. Be a master of change.

• Don’t let the current organizational structure dictate your actions or approach.

Ownership and Leadership

• Lead by example in everything you do and constantly improve the capabilities of yourself and the organization.

• Take an ownership stake and accept personal responsibility for the results of this organization (not just your part of it).

• Take the initiative in everything, even in ambiguous times.

• Communicate openly and candidly with everyone.

• Help the team (ours and our company at large) be successful.