Avoiding Unnecessary Crises
Be proactive, not reactive: Take Charge before action is
needed
I am often called in to "fix it." And when I start doing my
assessment of what has gone wrong, and what is needed in the
organization that is having difficulties, I often find that much
of what has come down could have been prevented . . . either by
preventative maintenance or timely preventative action.
It is easy in the hurry up of today's business economy to be so
busy putting out fires as you respond to important, urgent
projects, that you neglect those equally important but not so
urgent projects. It is what keeps you in crisis mode, calling me
to take care of things and people that have really gotten out of
hand. (Don't think I don't want you to call! )
Use these seven tips to prevent unnecessary crises:
- Go slow so you can go fast. Take enough time at the
beginning of a project, before you start implementing, to get
everyone on board, marshal your resources. Make sure your
objectives and desired results are clear to everyone on the
team. Time spent on pre-work is an investment that will pay off
with effort saved during implementation.
- Build relationships before you need them. Get allies,
colleagues, and stakeholders lined up sooner rather than later.
You can call on those with whom you have a good relationship
when time or conditions demand fast action, with little time for
discussion or persuasion. It's much harder to leverage distant
relationships during crunch times. People are more forgiving and
helpful when the relationship is good.
- Beat, don't meet, deadlines. Give yourself some time
for the unexpected: last minute slips, resource unavailability,
illness, or production glitches. High drama rushes to the
deadline not only sap the team's energy but they set you up for
insurmountable obstacles. Beat the deadline, then go have fun!
- Check and check again. Go over your deliverables one
more time after they are supposedly finished. Proofread the
report, don't just print it. Pay attention to how the
deliverable is presented, not just the content. Cover all your
bases. Don't assume making the deadline will compensate for
being just a little off.
- Just do it - yourself if necessary. If your group is
responsible for the action, results, deliverables, whatever, and
it isn't coming, you hold the bottom line. As the manager, you
are the one who will be seen as failing, not your team. Go back
to the employees who are responsible, but get it done. You'll
lose with your management and your customers if your team
doesn't deliver. (Be sure that you take the responsibility for
failure, the team gets the credit for success!)
- Learn, let go, and get on with it. Obsessing about
mistakes doesn't help. Neither does being vindictive or
unforgiving. You learn and then change your mind, and change
your behavior. Do your analysis: what needs to be done
differently next time? Then change the process: how can you make
sure you will do it the new way next time? Temper tantrums,
rants and sullenness don't help. Keep the process professional.
- Having said all this, don't overlook "bad" behavior.
Remember Rule #1: behavior that is rewarded is apt to be
repeated. And the corollary to Rule #1: the best reward for bad
behavior is to do nothing. Overlooking unwanted or "bad"
behavior will just get you more of the behavior you don't want.
I know it is a pain in the neck to hold people responsible
for their performance and their behavior. And, to be fair,
sometimes employees will test and test again to see if you will
let them "get away with it." Don't fall for it. You owe it to
yourself, the rest of your team, and the organization you work
for, to expect everyone to be a positive contributor. Otherwise,
we will be talking for sure!
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