Many of us confront challenges at work. Some of these are easily resolved. Others are more persistent. One reason challenges persist is because we don’t accept any responsibility for them.
I recently gave an assignment to the managers in my MBA class on management in which they were to identify their top three persistent challenges. In giving the assignment, I told them to identify challenges they had been unable to alter or resolve or couldn’t see a way to alter or resolve. These were challenges they said limited their success and satisfaction at work.
After completing the assignment, I asked them to indicate into which of eight categories their particular challenges fell. Since some challenges could pertain to more than one category, they were to indicate all applicable categories. The results, listed in order from most to least frequently mentioned (% of respondents) are:
1. Poor Planning (67%). There are frequent changes in priorities and assignments, and things are not well thought out in advance.
2. Difficult People (63%). People are unresponsive, uncooperative, or just plain hard to work with.
3. Lack of Teamwork (61%). People with whom I need to collaborate or coordinate my work do not communicate with me or others as needed.
4. Poor Quality Work (44%). The work I get from others is incomplete, inaccurate, inappropriate, or simply wrong.
5. Work Overload (40%). I have more to do than I can get done in the time available and telling people I am full, unavailable, or can’t do it doesn’t seem to matter.
6. Insufficient Support or Resources (40%). I do not have and do not get the support or resources I need to get my work done.
7. Lateness (39%). I get things late from other people.
8. Other (25%). Any challenge not covered by the above. [People said such things as “poor communication”, “lack of accountability”, “poor management”, and “seniority issues”.]
What is interesting is that the students believe they have these problems because of “them” (e.g., other people). It is because of “their” lack of motivation, commitment, accountability, etc., that the issue persists. The difficulty with this belief is that it makes students victims. It denies them the possibility that many, if not all, of their particular challenges can be significantly reduced, if not eliminated, through appropriate communication. Appropriate communication requires a willingness to consider oneself at least partially responsible for the persistent challenge.
One way to move from being a victim to being responsible is by authentically asking and answering the question “How does the way I communicate (or don’t) contribute to the persistence of this situation?” It’s a tough question. But without it, all we have to look forward to is the continuation of our persistent challenges.
