I like to look at things from the perspectives of others before weighing in on something at work.
Nope...
Ji could not believe what he was hearing. His colleagues were asking for a deadline extension and he would have none of it. He had worked evenings and weekends to meet the same deadline they had, and as a result his work was done! So, he held firm and told them an extension wasn’t possible. Ji’s reputation preceded him and his colleagues had no problem using his nickname out of earshot; “The Tyrant!” – they decided to take this up with his boss because Ji was so unreasonable.
- Blind Spot: Not seeing that if something made you make unhealthy compromises maybe it’s not good for anyone and needs to be re-visited.
- Hidden Habit: Making others accomplish what you have at work, without acknowledging that everyone’s capacity is different; being judgemental shows how you lack compassion.
When it’s safe…
Ji could not believe what he was hearing. His colleagues were asking for a deadline extension and he would have none of it. He had worked evenings and weekends to meet the same deadline they had, and as a result his work was done, but he also knew that the client wasn’t ready and would be looking to push out the delivery date. He wasn’t ready to be completely open with his colleagues (after all he made the deadline and they could have too), but he did give his colleagues a 1-week extension. Ji’s reputation preceded him and some of his colleagues had no problem using his nickname out of earshot; “The Tyrant!” – they thought about taking this up with is boss because Ji was known for being inflexible.
- Blind Spot: Not being transparent with others because you’ve judged them or for fear they’ll take advantage of you.
- Hidden Habit: Trying to control outcomes that may not be yours to control, and negatively impacting others (and your reputation) along the way.
For some things...
Ji could not believe what he was hearing. His colleagues were asking for a deadline extension and he was listening. He had worked evenings and weekends to meet the same deadline they had, and as a result his work was done, but he heard from his colleagues that there were mitigating circumstances that needed to be considered or the work they were doing would not meet the project objectives. Ji also knew that the client wasn’t ready and would be looking to push out the delivery date, so he shared this, giving his colleagues a 2-week extension but not wanting to prolong the meeting to discuss the extension length any further. Ji’s reputation for being unpredictable preceded him; some of his colleagues were grateful for the extension, while others felt he wasn’t as collaborative as he should be in his position.
- Blind Spot: Being inflexible in your approach to problem solving, so you feel efficient.
- Hidden Habit: Deciding you know what is best for others without first considering their perspective (or being open to it).
A lot...
Ji anticipated what he was hearing. His colleagues were asking for a deadline extension and he was listening. He had worked evenings and weekends to meet the same deadline they had, and as a result his work was done, but it had been hard on his family and now he heard from his colleagues that there were mitigating circumstances that needed to be considered or the work they were doing would not meet the project objectives. Ji didn’t want to create undue pressure and also knew that the client wasn’t ready and would be looking to push out the delivery date. He mentioned this and asked his colleagues what a reasonable extension would look like to meet the anticipated new deadlines? Ji’s reputation for being collaborative preceded him and his colleagues were reasonable in asking for what they needed.
- Blind Spot: Yes! Being flexible and transparent is a great start to considerate compromise for everyone. To take this one step further, consider where you have opportunities to be more proactive, rather than waiting for scheduled meetings or events to take place.
- Hidden Habit: Awesome start! Remember, meetings that tackle turning points and pivots in plans may take longer than the time allotted, so think of ways to allow for more time, or ways that support using the time given to best effect.
Yes, always!
Ji prepared for today’s meeting. He’d been keeping in touch with the project and anticipated hearing concerns about the deadlines – an extension would clearly be needed, even though he had all his items complete. Rather than wait for the meeting, he picked up the phone calling key stakeholders and did a lot of listening. He then shared with them that the client would be pushing back the delivery date and listened again to get a sense of what a new deadline would look like, one that would ensure everyone had time to take into account the mitigating circumstances and would ease the pressure; pressure that had dictated a lot of evening and weekend work for everyone up to now. The meeting time was then used to discuss new timelines and workplans that would set everyone up for success. Ji’s colleagues left the meeting feeling grateful for both his proactive approach and openness to their concerns, happy to have such an awesome leader supporting their work on this project.
- Blind Spot: Great moves! This is possible when you intentionally plan “white space” in your calendar, allowing you to be more proactive with the things that matter when they pop up; continue to practice this level of planning.
- Hidden Habit: Keep it up! Protecting “white space” in your calendar can be difficult, but by booking time just to think about the work you are immersed in allows you to set the expectations of others AND stay agile so you are at peak relevance.