Unfortunately I know this because I have missed commitments. One thing that my personality has built in is a need to please, so I have a tendency for optimism which leads to committing to too many things. One thing I work hard on is reeling this in and making sure that I set realistic expectations for myself first, then for what I'm telling my team members that I can deliver.
Here's what I'm working on:
Previously I may have said, "I'll get something from Joe by mid-January". Now I say "I will commit to getting a list of similar projects Joe has worked on by January 15th".
- I am specific in WHAT and WHEN - NOW if I don't have that list by January 15th, I'm in big trouble. I didn't say "I'll call." I have a specific outcome - the list. I gave myself a deadline - very important. I didn't just re-direct to one person (Joe) because there can be other ways for me to get what I need.
- I reinforce for myself. I used a strong word - "commit" - and I know when someone else uses that word with me that they take what they are promising to do very seriously. Think of the difference of "you said you would do it" and "you made a commitment to me".
- I follow up with myself. I put a reminder in my calendar at intervals leading up to my commitment - not the day of the commitment. These remind me to work on it, or let my co-worker know that I need more time. Needing more time can be okay if I let them know well in advance of my deadline and gives them the opportunity to say "We can't wait due to other dependencies".
I'm continuing to work on this and will be giving more thoughts on this in the future!
5 Minute reading suggestion:
http://informationanthology.net/CareerMentor/Keeping-Commitments.html
And if you haven't read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, at least check out the chart:
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