How many times are people hired for leadership positions without really knowing what their own leadership expects of them? This is especially problematic for first-time managers. As a leader, I have always found it not only important but inspiring to share with my management team what I expected of each of them as leaders within the organization. Of course, turning around is always fair game. They also individually shared with me what they expected of me as their leader. Sharing expectations up front not only allowed us to come together more quickly as a high-performing leadership team, it also gave us all the opportunity early on to build together the best team we could for the organization as a whole.

Below are 20 leadership expectations that I have shared and found valuable in building a strong leadership team.

1. Respect each other, treat everyone well. Don’t be confrontational. Maintain your self-esteem. Be sensitive to the tone of your voice and the words you say. Give people the respect and dignity they deserve. Do to others what they would like you to do to them. Trust people and honor the best they have to offer. You should always be in a partnership, you are part of the same team and everyone benefits from the success of the organization.

two. Act with integrity, speak honestly and do the right thing. Always, always tell the truth. Then you won’t have to try to remember what you said. Choose your highest thought about something when trying to decide how to act.

3. Motivate with a mission; lead from the heart with passion and compassion. Give people a compelling reason to be a part of this organization. Employees are much more likely to put their hearts on the line for a manager who breaks the façade of invincibility and demonstrates humanity. Have a passionate belief in your ideas and values. Say the words “I believe” and share your thoughts with your team. Get people excited! Know that your true power comes from within, the source that fuels all success.

Four. Be adaptable. Stay creative. Have the courage to do things differently. Always find ways to improve. Be willing to think a new thought if you want to create a different (new and improved) reality. Instill in others the need to “think a new thought”. Remember, change is part of the natural order of things. You must change or stay behind. Get comfortable letting go of the past so you can grasp a different future.

5. Choose your battles: know your non-negotiables. How you handle a crisis will determine whether it escalates or goes away. So choose your battles wisely. There are things that are not worth fighting for now. Timing is everything!! Don’t let problems celebrate you. deal with it. Recognize problems immediately and deal with them.

6. Keep communications open. Deconstruct the barriers that inhibit the organization’s ability to continuously learn, grow and adapt as it moves forward. Create an organization that allows the sharing and flow of thought and information effortlessly as part of the process for the common good. Learn to listen and handle adversity while sticking to your beliefs. Take the heat and move on.

7. Get on the wheelbarrow! We succeed or fail together: it is a partnership. People need to know that everyone, including you, is in this together. They must understand that your success as a leader is tied to their success.

8. Always look for ways to improve something (remember that everything can be improved until it is no longer needed). Stay creative and look for new ideas and thoughts. Find ways to always be improving, find new ways to win. Don’t get stuck in “that’s the way we’ve always done it” because if that’s true, it’s probably time for a change.

9. Live for the future, not for the past. Put your team into “future thinking” as you bridge the gap between the past and the future. Find ways to not only create a vision for the future, but also to become that “vision” now, in the present. Remember you must first imagine it before you can be it, you must be it before you can do it, you must do it before you can have it, and only when you have it can you claim it: SUCCESS!

10 Work with a sense of urgency. You must understand that we do not have unlimited time! Everything has a time limit and nothing lasts forever. Lead with a sense of urgency and purpose knowing that what you’re currently working on is just a springboard to the next opportunity that lies before you and your team.

eleven Build a team ego – inflate the people around you. Put the group first. Make the people around you feel better. Make people feel proud to be part of the team. Let people know that they are “making history” every day. Center success around team accomplishments. Build a team culture with shared values.

12 Don’t just spend the day GROW throughout the day so that tomorrow you can accomplish more. Every day seek or create opportunities for your team members to develop and grow. Remember that the more they become, the more they can offer not only to the success of the team but also to your personal success.

13 Meetings: get in – get out! Enough to say, literally!

14 Promote and support a balanced work life. Realize, people don’t live to work; they work to live. So accept the fact that they have a life outside of work, and so do you. Lead from the knowledge that people live within a holistic system that includes what happens inside and outside of work.

fifteen. Show appreciation. Recognize personally. Understand that your team is the most valuable resource you have. It is what makes your leadership and ability to succeed as an organization unique. Recognize that your team is uniquely qualified to bring success to the organization. What you do with the unique talents, experiences and expertise that resides within your team will make the difference between success and failure. There is no other team like you have on this planet, so lead like this.

sixteen. Communicate what you want. Know the dangers of assumptions. Organize one-on-one meetings to keep people informed. People cannot be blamed or held responsible for what they do not know. Make sure the message is understood. Don’t assume people know what you want.

17 Be your own messenger. Be practical, talk to the team (every day), reaffirm the vision and keep it constantly in mind. Be visible and let others see you lead. Let your team hear you and see you leading from the future, instead of clinging to the past.

18 Act decisively: be an “intentional leader.” Decide to be successful on purpose and do whatever it takes to make that happen. Forget “try” because there is no such thing. Either you get the results you want or you don’t. So make up your mind to be a successful leader. Learn the methods of other successful leaders. Learn what works and what doesn’t and find what works best for you.

19 Don’t be afraid to fail. Take personal ownership and pride in what you are responsible for. Failure is part of the leadership package. Don’t be afraid to be wrong, don’t be afraid to fail, it’s part of the process. Failure is just another class in school. Just remember, when you fail, fail fast, learn from it, and then keep moving forward.

twenty Always “be at the service”. Everything you do as a leader should be geared toward fostering an environment that improves people’s lives. Be of service to others and to those who depend on you for leadership.