10 questions to ask your manager when expectations are not clear

Photo by Artem Maltsev

People will not always be as explicit as you need about their needs and expectations, and when you don´t have that level of clarity, it makes it more difficult for you to perform at your highest potential. So, what can you do about it? When you perceive that you don´t have enough information to deliver on your objectives effectively, you need to proactively seek out what you are missing. How? Go to the source with specific questions that will give you the clarity you need to perform.

Here are ten questions you should ask your manager when you need clarification on their expectations.

1. What does the area/company hope to achieve through this initiative? / With which company-wide goals is this initiative associated?

2. What priorities should I focus on as of right now?

3. Is there a checklist of tasks/ projects I need to work on?

Photo by Jess Bailey

4. How will we measure success? (What are the key performance indicators (KPIs)?)

5. Which colleague(s) must I collaborate with to complete this project?

6. What is the timeline for the project, and is it flexible?

7. What are the key deliverables?

8. Can we meet to discuss what the goals for this project are and how we can achieve them?

9. What are the most appropriate tools/resources I need for the project? Are they available?

10. What milestones are we working to achieve this week/ month/ quarter/ year?

Keep in mind that these questions are generic. It would be best to make them specific to the work and situation you are in to get the most out of them.