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!

Patricia Wiklund Ph.D. works with managers who are challenged with a difficult employee or colleague, and organizations that need to get back on track to effectiveness and productivity. Start increasing your management and leadership skills with her new audio coaching program on Emotional Intelligence: The Leadership Edge. Just click here: http://www.PatWiklund.com/eiaudiocoaching.shtml Contact Pat at Pat@patwiklund.com