Unclear expectations and undefined goals are responsible for more employee disengagement, missed deadlines, and team conflict than almost any other leadership failure — and the frustrating part is that most of it is completely preventable. If you've ever heard "I didn't know that was my responsibility" or watched a good employee slowly check out and had no idea why, this episode is going to give you the framework to fix it. Kerri walks through seven specific actions leaders can take right now to create clarity, set goals that actually mean something, and build a team that knows exactly where they're headed and why it matters.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- The five real costs of unclear expectations — employee frustration and burnout (in the absence of information, people fill in the gaps with the worst-case scenario), lack of accountability (you cannot hold someone accountable for something they genuinely didn't know they were supposed to do), decreased productivity (vague goals mean employees can't prioritize effectively), team tension and conflict (undefined roles mean people either step on each other or avoid tasks entirely), and missed opportunities for growth (when there's no direction, innovation stalls and performance plateaus)
- How to set SMART goals that actually work — why "increase productivity" is a useless goal but "increase our Net Promoter Score by 10 points over the next six months" is one that people can actually meet or miss, how Kerri built her 2025 strategic plan across consulting fees, Predictive Index partnerships, Salt and Light for Women retreats, and podcast monetization and then rolled each objective all the way down to specific weekly tasks for every person on her team (Tara, Paige, and Brittany each have individual goals that directly tie to the company's 30% growth target), and why tying goals to both compensation and experiential rewards like team retreats drives a different level of buy-in than either one does alone
- Why job descriptions are living performance management documents — how Kerri's three-page job descriptions outline specific tasks, success metrics, technology requirements, collaboration expectations, and culture fit from day one, why she uses the interview process as a job description audit (if a candidate doesn't come back with questions, she doesn't hire them), and why revisiting the job description together at the annual review turns a dreaded HR process into a collaborative conversation where you're both on the same side of the table
- The at-agenda system and meeting cadence for communicating expectations continuously — how the at-agenda (issues, observations, suggestions, questions — a live shared document between Kerri and each direct report) replaces the constant inbox interruptions that kill focused work, why Kerri spends three to four hours per week with each new hire in the first month and then cuts them loose once onboarding is complete, and the 30-60-90 day check-in structure plus weekly one-on-ones plus monthly metric reviews plus quarterly in-person team days that keep her remote team aligned and connected
- How to equip middle managers to lead with clarity before it becomes a problem — why the biggest leadership skill gap in most organizations shows up at the middle manager level (technically great at their job, never given leadership training), and the real-world example of an RN moving into a clinic lead role where Kerri built a six-month leadership path before she ever stepped into the seat — plus the seventh action: document and measure progress in a visible system so employees know whether the company is on track, because if you don't tell them, they will assume it's fine and be blindsided when it isn't
Chapter Markers:
- 00:00 — Unclear Expectations and Lack of Goals: The Problems They Create in Your Business
- 01:07 — The 5 Costs of Unclear Expectations: Burnout, Accountability, Productivity, Conflict & Missed Growth
- 03:30 — Action 1: Setting SMART Goals — What That Actually Means in Practice
- 05:06 — Kerri's 2025 Strategic Plan: A Real Example of Goals Rolled Down to Every Team Member
- 10:54 — Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time-Bound: Breaking Down the Rest of SMART
- 16:57 — Action 2: Define Roles and Responsibilities — Why Job Descriptions Matter Even When You're Small
- 22:18 — How Kerri Uses a 3-Page Job Description to Onboard and Evaluate
- 25:00 — Action 3: Communicate Expectations Early and Often — 30-60-90, Weekly & Monthly Cadences
- 26:22 — The At-Agenda System: How to Give Your Team a Mechanism to Communicate With You
- 31:18 — Action 4: Provide Context for Goals — Why the Monthly Metrics Meeting Ties Work to Purpose
- 32:50 — Action 5: Use Feedback Loops — The Right Things to Interrupt On vs. Save for the Meeting
- 29:20 — Action 6: Equip Your Managers to Lead With Clarity — The Middle Manager Skill Gap
- 31:20 — Real Example: Building a 6-Month Leadership Path for a New Clinic Lead
- 31:38 — Action 7: Document and Measure Progress — Why Visibility Drives Accountability
- 33:17 — Your Challenge for the Week: One Conversation That Creates Clarity Right Now
If you're not sure whether your people operations are set up to support this kind of clarity — the goals, the job descriptions, the performance review process — the free HR Audit will show you exactly what's in place and what's missing: saltandlightadvisors.com/hraudit
Resources to keep building:
🎯 Take the free HR Audit — Score your HR systems in 5 minutes and see exactly where your gaps are. 👉 saltandlightadvisors.com/hraudit
🎙️ Listen to Don't Waste the Chaos — The podcast for small business owners building strong people operations. 👉 kerrimroberts.com/podcast
📖 Get The HR Easy Button — Kerri's book on building HR systems that actually work for small businesses. 👉 https://amzn.to/4cPyrFh
✉️ Subscribe to the newsletter — Weekly HR insights for founders, in your inbox every Monday. 👉 saltandlight.myflodesk.com/saltandlightadvisors
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Need fractional HR support or want to talk through a specific challenge? 👉 saltandlightadvisors.com/contact
Ready to build foundational HR systems on your own? 👉 saltandlightadvisors.com/hrfoundations
Connect with Kerri: 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/kerrimroberts 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kerrimroberts 🐎 Hippo Creek Farm on Instagram: instagram.com/hippocreekfarm
Episode-specific resources mentioned:
- Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell — linked in show notes (the at-agenda system is adapted from this book)
- Predictive Index — behavioral and cognitive assessment tool (Kerri is a certified PI consultant)
- Salt and Light for Women — online community and retreat program (saltandlightadvisors.com)
- Episode 53: The HR Myths Holding Your Business Back with Tara Parris — referenced for performance reviews and HR stereotypes
Full show notes + transcript: kerrimroberts.com/dontwastethechaos/episode-58-how-to-create-goals-that-actually-motivate-your-team
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