Anton Guinea
Entrepreneur, Speaker, bestselling author, and founder of The Guinea Group of Companies. For over 15 years, Anton has helped leaders move their teams to become psychologically safe, physically safe and overall better versions of themselves.
How can you hold your team accountable for expectations they don’t clearly understand?
This is a common mistake I see, particularly with managers.
A manager might say, “They should know what’s expected of them.” But if the expectation hasn’t been clearly explained, how can you fairly hold someone accountable for it?
When expectations are vague, accountability becomes difficult. People make assumptions, standards vary and managers end up stepping in to fix problems that could have been avoided in the first place.
Clear Expectations Create Clear Accountability
Accountability doesn’t start when something goes wrong.
Accountability starts when the expectation is set.
Think about some of the things managers commonly say to supervisors:
- “Take more ownership.”
- “Communicate better.”
- “Be more proactive.”
- “Hold your team accountable.”
They sound clear, but what do they actually mean?
What does “take ownership” look like when a problem occurs? When should a supervisor step in? What decisions should they make themselves? When should they escalate something to you?
If you can’t clearly answer those questions, there’s a good chance your supervisor can’t either.
Instead of giving broad instructions, define what the expectation looks like in practice.
For example, instead of saying “Hold your team accountable,” you could say:
“When someone isn’t meeting the agreed standard, I expect you to address it directly, agree on what needs to change and follow up to make sure it happens.”
Now the supervisor knows what accountability actually looks like.
Make Expectations Observable
One of the biggest problems with unclear expectations is that they are often difficult to observe.
Take the instruction:
“Be a better leader.”
What does that mean?
Instead, turn the expectation into behaviours you can see and coach.
- Set clear priorities with the team.
- Address performance issues when they occur.
- Follow up on agreed actions.
- Give regular feedback.
- Make appropriate decisions without constantly escalating to the manager.
Now “better leadership” becomes something the supervisor can practise and something you can coach.
Clarity makes accountability fairer.
Don’t Just Give Your Supervisors Instructions
There is another important part of this conversation.
Managers need to develop supervisors, not simply give them more instructions.
A supervisor may understand exactly what the standard is but still lack the skills or confidence to achieve it.
They might know they need to have difficult conversations but avoid them. They might understand that their team needs to improve but continue doing the work themselves. They might keep coming to you with problems because they haven’t developed the judgement to handle them independently.
Sometimes the problem isn’t commitment. It’s capability.
That’s why I believe supervisors need coaching, not just instructions. You can read more about this in my article Why Your Frontline Leaders Need Coaching, Not Just Instructions.
Check That They Actually Understand
One of the simplest things you can do as a manager is ask:
“What does good look like?”
After explaining an expectation, ask your supervisor to explain it back to you in their own words.
You could say:
“I’ve explained what I need from you. Talk me through what that looks like from your perspective.”
This isn’t a test. It’s a check for understanding.
You may discover that you’ve both understood the expectation in exactly the same way. Or you may uncover a misunderstanding before it becomes a performance problem.
That small conversation can save you a much bigger conversation later.
Set the Expectation — Then Follow Up
Setting an expectation once isn’t enough.
If something matters, inspect it. If you expect a behaviour, follow up on it. If you want that behaviour to become consistent, coach it.
This doesn’t mean micromanaging.
There’s a big difference between checking progress and taking control.
Your role isn’t to do the supervisor’s job for them. Your role is to make sure they understand what they own, give them the capability to deliver it and hold them accountable for following through.
Stop Leading Twice
When supervisors aren’t confident or capable of leading independently, managers often end up doing their job for them.
The manager follows up with the supervisor. The supervisor follows up with the team. The manager checks whether the supervisor followed up. Eventually, the manager steps in.
Suddenly, you’re leading twice.
I’ve explored this problem in more detail in If Your Supervisors Aren’t Leading, You’re Leading Twice.
The solution isn’t always to push the supervisor harder.
Sometimes you need to step back and ask:
- Have I made the expectation clear?
- Does my supervisor understand what success looks like?
- Do they have the skills to deliver it?
- Am I giving them enough space to lead?
- Am I coaching them or constantly solving their problems?
These questions shift the focus from simply getting the result to developing the person responsible for the result.
Don’t Just Expect Better. Develop Better.
You can’t fairly hold someone accountable for a standard they don’t understand.
But clear expectations are only the starting point.
Great managers clarify the standard, check understanding, provide support, coach capability and follow through with accountability.
That’s how expectations become behaviours. And that’s how supervisors become leaders you can trust.
Want to Upgrade Your Supervisors?
If you’re a manager responsible for supervisors, join me for our free Supervisor Upgrade Workshop on 1 September 2026 at 9:00 AM AEST via Teams.
I’ll share practical strategies to help your supervisors build accountability, lead with greater confidence and take more ownership, so you aren’t constantly chasing, fixing and stepping in.
Register for the FREE Supervisor Upgrade Workshop here.
If you want to take the next step and develop your supervisors through tailored leadership coaching and development, book a conversation with me.
Stop carrying your supervisors. Start developing them.
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