This article is part of the Manager’s Guide series. To read other articles in this series, please go to the main blog page, click the filter button, and select the Manager’s Guide category.
Q: What should I do if I am unable to meet a deadline?
A: There are four things you should do, i.e.,
1. You Must Face Reality.
Do:
Face problems squarely, including taboo ones.
Recognise the unspoken.
Deal with challenging issues head-on.
Address problems before they become more serious.
Take the initiative in discussions.
Confront the situation, not the person.
Don't:
Sidestep the actual problem.
Bury your head firmly in the sand.
Act as though reality doesn't exist or ignore it.
Act with denial.
Making an effort to face reality while really avoiding it.
Paying more attention to minor problems than to important ones.
Say:
Let's be realistic.
What should be said but not?
I don't think we're talking about what we should, which is...
What are the biggest opportunities/problems/challenges we face?
What is the truth of the matter?
What will happen if we ignore these problems?
We are adults. We can get through this.
Tell me the truth.
What are the taboos here?
When you do this, it makes me feel...
If you do this, it will have the following effect on the team/organization/stakeholders…
2. You Must Fix Mistakes.
Do:
If you make a mistake, fix it.
Say sorry quickly.
Try to make things right if you can.
Pull through service recovery (i.e., reaching out to customers who had a negative service experience to rectify the situation).
Be humble.
Don't:
Deny or excuse wrongdoing.
Make excuses for bad behavior.
Don't let your pride stop you from doing the right thing.
Trying to cover things up or hide mistakes instead of fixing them.
Not admitting their mistakes until they are forced to.
Let shame hinder you.
Say:
I'm sorry. It was my mistake.
I apologize for…
I made a mistake when...
What should I do to fix this?
Tell me what you need help with.
What will it take to get things right?
What could I have done differently?
What lessons can we learn from this?
We promise to do the following...
What can I do to make it right for you?
3. You Must Get Things Done.
Do:
Create a proven record of accomplishment.
Do what has to be done. Get things done.
Complete the missions.
Deliver results on-time and within budget.
Don't:
Poor performance/failure to deliver.
Underpromise and overpromise.
Give justifications for failing to fulfill.
Delivering activities rather than outcomes/results.
Faking up work.
Working hard, but doing nothing productive.
Say:
What specific results do you want from us? How soon?
How will we know if we've done well?
What will happen as a result of this?
I promise to deliver... by [[the due date]].
This is what we said we would do, and it costs less than we planned.
We're all done. Did you expect something else?
Whatever it takes, we need to get these results.
Which one of these goals is most important?
4. You Must Continuously Improve.
Do:
Keep getting better.
Get better at what you can do.
Never stop learning.
Use both formal and informal channels for getting feedback.
Do something with the feedback you get.
Thank people for sharing their feedback.
Don't:
Deteriorate.
Become complacent/useless/irrelevant/out of date.
Think of yourself as better than feedback.
Assume that your today's knowledge and skills will be enough for the challenges and difficulties of tomorrow.
Making changes that are "hot" temporarily but don't last.
Always learning but never producing anything.
Talking a lot about how you want to get better but never doing it.
Trying to make everything fit into what you're good at.
Say:
Where can I get better?
How am I doing these days? Where can I get help?
What particular things (systems, structures, procedures) must we improve?
How are we currently doing?
What advantages would this improvement bring? What are the disadvantages of inaction?
How will we get consistent feedback?
How likely are you, on a scale of one to 10, to tell others about our product or service? Why?
We appreciate your feedback and will take action on it.
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