Monthly Archives: August 2013

#236 Meeting deadlines (not)

Send to Kindle

Early in my career, my bosses asked me, “Why did you not meet your deadline?” Being very sure about myself, I offered some variation of the answers below:

  • The task was too easy, so I let my guard down. The task turned out to be more difficult than I expected.
  • I was too busy with numerous tasks, and overcommitted without thinking.
  • I don’t care, you need me, I am indispensable.
  • I never agreed with the deadline in the first place.
  • I never agreed with you as a person. No, I was not passive aggressive, I have valid reasons for not believing in you.

This line of thinking is career limiting.

Meeting deadlines is a sign of two traits: ability to plan and reliability. Find a way to set a deadline that is realistic, ask for help in planning, ask for help to remove barriers to performance, reset expectations in a timely manner, and consistently meet your deadlines.

Share

#235 Acceptance test

Send to Kindle

It is an interdependent world and you have to ask others to perform tasks; because you cannot possibly do everything yourself. Thus, you have to work vendors, these can be individuals or companies.

After they have finished the task, they will hand it over to you for inspection and acceptance. At which point, you will take the outputs for a test drive, kick its tires etc.

A more bottom line focused approach is to ask, “Would you risk your career and reputation by having me accept and use your outputs?”

By tying the vendor’s reputation to their output, you will create leverage that is far more powerful than the threat of financial or legal penalties.

Caveat: this will only work in cultures where a strong legal system exists. If your vendor is staffed with immature people or you are dealing with cultures under developed for commerce, where existence is from hand to mouth, people still have a king-size ego, but when it comes to business, they may be willing to set aside their reputation to make a fast buck.

Share