Waiting for Failure—a Common Mistake
If you are concerned a commitment to you will not be kept, don’t wait for failure. Stay in communication and offer support.
Insight: I was working with Jennifer, a VP, who was unhappy with one of her employees:
Jennifer: “I asked Debbie to create a report for me, and I already know it will be late and won’t be what I want. I’ve told her so many times about getting things done right the first time.”
Me: “Jennifer, if you already know that the report will be late and isn’t going to satisfy you, why don’t you talk with Debbie and share your concern?”
Jennifer: “Because I need high-performing employees who understand what I need and provide it for me. Just wait and see. This will be the last time I ask her to do something this important.”
This perspective is quite common. Jennifer would be more likely to get the report when she wants if she shared her concerns and provided guidance to Debbie. However, Jennifer believes Debbie is a low-performer, so instead of being on the field supporting Debbie, Jennifer is waiting and collecting evidence to solidify her assessment that Debbie is a low-performer.
I later asked Debbie about her relationship with her boss:
Debbie: “It’s frustrating to work for Jennifer. She doesn’t help me understand the importance of various tasks or explain what she wants. When I ask clarifying questions, she thinks I’m wasting her time. I do the best I can, but then she just tears my work apart.”
Many managers complain about the lack of good people, but instead of intervening when they have concerns, they stand on the sidelines gathering evidence about why their employees are not good performers.
Key Action: The goal of a commitment is to create a partnership to produce a result. It’s a two-way street. The next time you are concerned a commitment will not be kept, take the following steps to stay in communication and help create the desired result:
Confirm the original, mutual understanding as to what was promised. Many times you will discover there is a lack of agreement on what commitment was made.
Express your concern that the commitment will not be kept.
Establish the value of the commitment. Often, the importance of fulfilling the commitment is not as obvious to the other person as it is to you.
Discuss whether they have the knowledge, ability, materials, and time required to fulfill the commitment, and determine if support is needed for the commitment to be kept.
Reconfirm the commitment or create a new series of milestones so that both people are confident that the result will be achieved. Establish an open channel of communication to support one another.
Vary the order or details as you see fit. The essence is to stay in partnership and support one another in creating the results that matter.
P.S. Simply ask yourself whether you are on the field playing the game or on the sidelines criticizing it.
