Ask HN: Setting expectations with your manager? With your direct reports?

I recently had a 1:1 with my manager where he asked me what I needed from him and it was a difficult question. I asked for a thumbs up or thumbs down every 2 weeks, and he replied “sure, and in case I forget, the absence of a thumbs down means a thumbs up”. I thought this was nice but would never have come to this conclusion had we not discussed it. One example of his expectation for me was to “become a technical owner” and now that it’s explicit I know I need to contribute more there.

What are some of your expectations? Feel free to include other roles such as “Technical Lead” or “Project Lead” or “skip manager”.