I recently read the article “What Your Leader Expects of You” by Larry Bossidy in the April 2007 issue of Harvard Business Review. Bossidy is the former Chairman and CEO of AlliedSignal and of Honeywell after that.

In the article, Bossidy discusses that, while the success of a leadership team depends heavily on the relationships the boss has with his or her direct reports, precious little has been written about the expectations of those relationships (on either side). He suggests the following list of behaviors that should be expected from both the boss and the subordinates, a sort of Leader’s Covenant.

These behaviors resonate with me from both the boss and the direct report perspective. I encourage others in leadership positions or who are direct reports of senior management to take a good look at these.

What Direct Reports Should Do

• Know when a situation calls for them to get involved.
• Generate ideas (remembering that some of the best may sound crazy at first).
• Be willing to collaborate, putting the long term objectives of the company above their (or their department’s/division’s) short term goals.
• Step up to lead initiatives, even if their outcome is uncertain.
• Develop leaders among their people, especially through direct involvement in performance evaluations.
• Stay current on world and industry/market events and developments.
• Anticipate how those events/developments may affect the company and the competition.
• Drive their own growth by exposing themselves to new people and ideas and by accepting demanding assignments.
• Sustain these behaviors in bad times as well as good.

What the Boss Should Do

• Provide clear direction.
• Set goals and objectives.
• Give frequent, specific, and prompt feedback.
• Be decisive and timely.
• Demonstrate honesty and candor.
• Offer and equitable compensation plan.