http://professorford.com/2010/02/01/is-demanding-%e2%80%9cnow%e2%80%9d-undermining-leadership/ Making Management Simple Mon, 03 May 2010 13:53:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://professorford.com/2010/02/01/is-demanding-%e2%80%9cnow%e2%80%9d-undermining-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-400 MarkSpizer Mon, 03 May 2010 13:53:19 +0000 http://professorford.com/?p=344#comment-400 great post as usual! great post as usual!

]]> http://professorford.com/2010/02/01/is-demanding-%e2%80%9cnow%e2%80%9d-undermining-leadership/comment-page-1/#comment-229 Josh Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:00:54 +0000 http://professorford.com/?p=344#comment-229 I manage a team that accepts work requests from other colleagues. Early in my tenure, I put a stop to practices thwarting my team's productivity. Your essay reminded me of this alteration. I declared an end to three types of requests: I need it now, I need it asap, I need it yesterday. While we certainly CAN do it by "yesterday," it justs costs a lot of money, and so far, we've had no takers. Producing it "now" is not an option, as something else is happening now, and it's usually the conversation we're in, about needing it now; instead, we find out how long it will take, and commit to it, by an agreed-upon deadline. And "asap" is just as unspecific and unfulfillable; again, we agree on a real fulfillable deadline. These practices have made for happy team members, and clients. With my boss, when she asks for something to happen now, which would displace another priority she's asked for, I ask her which one is first, and commit/renegotiate the deadlines for both with her. It works. I manage a team that accepts work requests from other colleagues. Early in my tenure, I put a stop to practices thwarting my team’s productivity. Your essay reminded me of this alteration. I declared an end to three types of requests: I need it now, I need it asap, I need it yesterday. While we certainly CAN do it by “yesterday,” it justs costs a lot of money, and so far, we’ve had no takers. Producing it “now” is not an option, as something else is happening now, and it’s usually the conversation we’re in, about needing it now; instead, we find out how long it will take, and commit to it, by an agreed-upon deadline. And “asap” is just as unspecific and unfulfillable; again, we agree on a real fulfillable deadline. These practices have made for happy team members, and clients. With my boss, when she asks for something to happen now, which would displace another priority she’s asked for, I ask her which one is first, and commit/renegotiate the deadlines for both with her. It works.

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