Category Archives: Leadership

#91 Why is it so difficult?

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It is an understatement to say getting things done in the workplace is difficult. Getting things done is often akin to climbing the side of a cliff with just our hands, and no rope. When faced by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, your choices are:

  • Put up a fight. Someone is out to “get you” and you should not have to put up with it.
  • Ignore the problem, just keep doing your work. After all, if you don’t feed the problem, maybe it will starve to death. Your challenge here will be to not become passive aggressive.
  • Accept the problem with equanimity. You accept the lack of control and the need to relentlessly look for a way forward. You are doing your duty, and must keep doing it.
  • Change your job. Your current job is so dysfunctional, you’ve tried everything you can, life is too short, you decide to start over elsewhere. Then you realize it is the same everywhere.

It comes down to how many “difficult” problems you are facing and which ones are important. Assuming you have identified the critical ones, the follow up question is, do you have the skills and executive presence to deal with the problem? If you don’t have the skills, you can either change the problems you need to deal with, in your current or new job, or acquire the skills in your current job or in a new job.

This sounds well and good, but we all know how difficult it is. Don’t worry, misery loves company, and you have a lot of company! The trick is to stop being miserable and learn how to deal with difficult situations.

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#89 When internal interfaces fail

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In an earlier post, we looked at internal interfaces. Let’s say you have established the following:

  • A clear definition of inputs and outputs.
  • Who will do what and when.
  • Roles and responsibilities.
  • Service level agreements.

Then something goes wrong… Really, really wrong. Deadlines are not met, quality is poor, communication gaps are sprouting all over the place. With a positive frame of mind, you give your co-workers the benefit of the doubt. You get pressure from your boss and your stakeholder, making the “positive” part more challenging and your resolve to do something before you lose your equanimity.

You are determined not to get distracted by the symptoms: stonewalling, passive aggressiveness, and making but not keeping promises.

When you dig deeper, you find the astounding truth: your internal partner did not have the capabilities to deliver on the promises. You did not dig into and verify capabilities to execute to avoid conflict, now you realize you have merely postponed the conflict.

If the capabilities to execute are strategic, take the conversation to a higher level. If the capabilities are the competence of the individual, leave that to the direct manager of the individual. Continue to apply pressure on business goals and deliverables needed to deliver customer satisfaction.

External interfaces with customers, vendors, partners, and governments follow the same principles, but they are a little more complex, because… well, let me think about that and write it in a future post.

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