How to get your virtual team to ace your expectations
Virtual Success Show
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Episode breakdown
In this episode, we talk about how get your virtual team to ace your expectations by defining what your expectations really are. A common frustration experienced by many entrepreneurs when implementing virtual team members is that they don’t do what is expected of them.
- How to define your expectations.
- How to measure “success”.
- Communicating expectations – how to clearly articulate these to your team members.
- Are the expectations realistic for the roles you are employing your team members for.
How we all see the world is slightly different and so my expectations of a job well done compared to yours for your team or my team could be totally different.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction
Matt and Barbara open the episode by sharing their excitement about the show and the value it provides to their audience. They discuss how implementing the strategies they cover has positively impacted their own virtual teams, allowing them to manage staff across multiple countries—from the Philippines to Europe—while working effectively from home. They emphasize that building and managing a global virtual team is not as complicated as it may seem, thanks to modern technology, and that it ultimately simplifies their work rather than complicates it.
02:36 – Clearly defining your expectations
Matt and Barbara introduce the episode’s focus on expectations in virtual teams. They emphasize the importance of clearly defining what you expect from your team, ensuring they understand how to meet those expectations, and measuring success accordingly. They highlight that unclear expectations often lead to inconsistent outcomes, and outline that the episode will cover four key areas: defining expectations, measuring success, communicating expectations effectively, and ensuring expectations are realistic for each role.
04:40 – No-one can read your mind
Barbara highlights that people naturally assume others think like they do, which can lead to misaligned expectations in teams. She points out that leaders and team members often have different views of success, making it crucial—but challenging—to clearly define expectations. She then asks Matt how he helps clients articulate their expectations effectively.
05:36 – How to define your expectations
Matt explains that defining expectations involves three key areas: first, clarifying what’s important to you as the leader; second, understanding what success looks like in a task or role and setting expectations to enable that success; and third, defining what constitutes value—what performance truly matters and provides a positive return. Barbara adds that many leaders don’t explicitly communicate this, so teams may end up doing work that isn’t truly valued.
07:26 – Clear communication is key
Matt and Barbara discuss how clearly defining expectations helps virtual teams work effectively. Matt shares that in his business, team members must bring at least one solution when presenting a problem, reinforcing a solutions-focused culture. Barbara contrasts this with her approach, where new issues are first checked with her team to see if an answer already exists, avoiding unnecessary research. They highlight that different leaders and clients have different preferences for communication—some want constant updates, others just results—so clear rules and communication about expectations are essential.
10:00 – Don’t just think it, write it down
Matt and Barbara emphasize that defining expectations for virtual teams isn’t enough; you must write them down and explain them clearly so team members understand what you want. Barbara adds that explaining why an expectation exists helps the team remember and respect it. She gives an example using Asana: she expects daily tasks to be marked complete and any issues documented, so she can quickly check progress without chasing answers. Matt highlights that a useful way to define expectations is to focus on what stresses you out, then communicate both what to do and what not to do to reduce that stress.
13:02 – Help them, help you
Barbara and Matt stress that clear communication helps both the manager and the team: explaining what stresses you out allows team members to act in ways that reduce problems. Matt references “Help me, help you” as a simple principle. They both emphasize that expectations must be written down—spoken instructions aren’t enough—and can be used as measurable KPIs to track performance.
14:06 – What does success look like?
Matt and Barbara emphasize that defining success clearly is essential for virtual team management. Success should be measurable and unambiguous, like completing a task in Asana and adding the required comment. Clear metrics help team members understand whether they are meeting expectations, and simple, straightforward measures are often sufficient—fancy tracking isn’t necessary.
15:24 – Communicate clearly, assume nothing
Barbara shares a story highlighting the importance of clearly defining success with virtual team members. A client’s support assistant was doing good work on newsletters but wasn’t using the exact fonts and colors, which mattered greatly for branding. Once the client communicated the exact expectations, the support assistant understood the key metrics and could succeed. Matt emphasizes that success criteria should be simple, measurable, and unambiguous—black and white—so there’s no confusion, setting the team member up to win rather than fail.
17:49 – Communicating your expectations
Matt’s third point focuses on communicating expectations. After defining expectations and success metrics, he recommends having a conversation with your team while providing a written document, ensuring clarity on what is expected and how performance will be measured.
18:22 – Document your expectations
Barbara emphasizes that casual chats aren’t enough to set expectations; a dedicated meeting is needed to clearly discuss expectations and how success will be measured. Matt adds that for new team members, he spends the first hour reviewing the company’s mission, vision, and values, then communicates expectations with a written document. He has them repeat back their understanding to ensure clarity, accounting for language differences and human filters in communication. This process ensures team members are set up to succeed.
20:32 – The good and the not so good
Barbara suggests going beyond expectations to also outline behaviors that could trigger serious conversations—essentially defining boundaries. Matt agrees it’s a good idea and frames it as categorizing performance and behavior into three levels: acceptable, outstanding, and unacceptable, depending on individual style.
21:24 – Being clear on what failure looks like
Barbara explains that it’s important not only to communicate what success looks like but also clearly define what failure looks like, so team members know boundaries and can avoid mistakes. Matt adds that introducing these standards may cause resistance, especially if it’s implemented later, but explaining why the changes are being made helps ease that. Barbara emphasizes framing it supportively while being clear about expectations, and also highlights the importance of aligning expectations with the role; if expectations don’t match the role, it may require restructuring or finding someone better suited.
25:33 – Unrealistic expectations of your support assistant
Barbara emphasizes that while offshore support assistants—especially Filipino support assistants—are highly skilled, they shouldn’t be expected to act as strategists or generate ideas immediately. Early on, their role is mainly implementation. Over time, as trust and experience build, they can evolve into “super support assistants” who contribute strategically. Matt agrees, referencing Chris Ducker’s concept of the super support assistant.
26:36 – Help your support assistant grow
Matt emphasizes that expecting immediate expertise from support assistants will lead to disappointment. Instead, businesses should focus on training, mentoring, and understanding what motivates their team members, allowing them to grow into outstanding performers. He gives an example of support assistants becoming Facebook Ads experts through guided learning opportunities. Barbara adds that creating a safe environment for experimentation and idea generation is essential, especially if you expect initiative and problem-solving from your team. Both agree that managing expectations is complex but crucial for virtual team success.
28:55 – Wrapping things up
Matt wraps up by highlighting four key points for managing virtual teams: first, clearly define and write down your expectations; second, establish clear metrics for success and failure; third, communicate expectations both verbally and in writing, having team members repeat back their understanding; and fourth, ensure expectations are realistic for the role and that the person’s skills align with the business needs. Barbara adds that implementing these strategies actively improves team performance, emphasizing that success comes from taking the time to set things up properly rather than rushing. Both agree there’s always room to refine processes and look forward to future discussions.
