Set the deadline but expect nothing until then
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." Douglas Adams
Has this ever happened to you? The boss assigns you or your team a task or project and your deadline is Friday at 3pm, then he asks about it on Wednesday and Thursday. I experienced this in the Army. We would be given a specific task and deadline from our higher headquarters then an individual staff member would inquire about it. We would usually respond by repeating the deadline which was given in the order.
If you are going to assign a deadline for something, you have to mean it. Too often leaders will give a task and assign an arbitrary deadline to it without really thinking about when they need it complete. Asking about the progress of a task or demanding earlier completion without notice can send a signal that the leader does not trust the person or group assigned the task. It may also indicate that the leader failed to do his or her work thinking about when they really needed it complete. This can be damaging.
Here are a battery of questions you can ask yourself when assigning a deadline:
"when do I truly need this?"
"If I do not see or hear of this task until Friday at 3pm will that be ok?"
"Does Friday at 3pm give us enough time to send it back for adjustments?"
"Have I been realistic about this suspense?"
"Does the person or team have the resources, knowledge, ability, and time to meet this deadline?"
Conditions change in today's volatile workplace causing deadlines to shift. If you must move a deadline, start by taking ownership of the change. Confess flaws in your thinking or describe the conditions that changed causing the shift. Along with this, offer help from yourself or another person or team. Remove other tasks from a person or team to free up space for the earlier deadline. When assigning a deadline, consider in-progress reviews or IPRs which can give you a sense of progress and allow you to offer wisdom, course corrections, and assistance along the way. Lastly, work on delivering solid intent to give a person or team clear purpose, key tasks and end state (previous blog).
Always do the hard work and analysis when assigning a deadline. Or bite your tongue and wait until Friday at 3pm!
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell