How do I communicate what I expect of team leaders when working with teamecho?

When involving team leaders in the implementation of teamecho, it is of utmost importance to establish your expectations as an administrator and explicitly communicate them to the team leaders.

As an administrator and/or manager, you are used to having expectations for your employees and this is no different. However, knowing how to clearly communicate your expectations of the team leaders' role while working with teamecho might be new.

Below are some prompts and questions that will guide you in establishing expectations that work for you and your organization. 

Outcome-Related Expectations

First and foremost, you should ask yourself what you hope to get out of working with teamecho and, by extension, from involving team leaders in the process. Identify specific, observable goals you hope to achieve and also think about ways in which you would like to assess them. For example, perhaps one of your goals is to use teamecho to increase communication within your organization. Maybe you want to facilitate a more equitable exchange by abandoning hierarchies (at least in this context). Or, perhaps you are interested in gathering employees' ideas for how to heighten productivity in your organization.

Whatever you hope to accomplish, be sure to identify desired outcomes (perhaps even in writing) and communicate them clearly to your team leaders, so everyone can work toward these shared goals. It also cannot hurt to ask your team leads to identify individual goals to increase their commitment to and engagement with teamecho.

Role Expectations

Once desired outcomes have been identified, the next step should be to think about the ways in which team leaders can and should contribute to their achievement. To get you started, think about how an ideal team leader would work with teamecho. Do you envision someone who solves problems that might surface as part of the exchange or do you prefer someone who simply passes along information to you as needed? Do you wish for someone who takes a more active approach in working with teamecho (e.g. holding team meetings/discussions and/or asking follow-up questions) or someone who is a bit more passive (e.g. offering reminders to complete the survey and/or waiting for instructions from you before engaging)? There is no right or wrong way to do it; you know what works best for you, your team leaders, and your organization. 

Process-Related Expectations 

Arguably the most important, but often neglected, expectations pertain to the processes themselves. For example, explain how you want team leaders to respond to employees' comments in teamecho, if at all.

Define expectations you have for team leaders as they pertain to their

1. communication with team members, 
2. their use of teamecho, and 
3. their interactions with you.

For example, do you expect them to respond to each comment, select comments that capture a particular theme, write one summary response, or not comment at all? Think about the frequency, timing, and quality of communication you expect to see and let team leads know. It's not micro-managing; it's simply providing team leads the framework to be successful in realizing your joint vision. 

In short:

Be transparent with team leaders! Let them know that you hope to accomplish.

Communicate a clear vision for their role in working with teamecho. 

Explain the shape the collaborative process should take. And finally, do not be afraid to recalibrate your goals, redefine roles, and revise processes, if they do not work for you. As long as you communicate any changes clearly by being specific and open to team leaders' questions/suggestions, it will only further strengthen your relationship and lead to improved organizational outcomes.