Insight:
When
people successfully fulfill their commitments, they earn
the reputation of being reliable and competent. What
do you do when you are working hard to keep a
commitment, but find yourself in a situation when you
are hoping but uncertain whether you will succeed?
Consider this conversation between two colleagues:
Anthony: I still don't have all the numbers I need for
your report tomorrow. I've done everything possible to
pull this together.
Kim: You know I need that report for my presentation
tomorrow. I've been counting on you, Anthony.
Anthony: Yes, I know, and I've been doing everything
I can to get the numbers together. The other
departments have just been slow to provide the
data.
Kim: So, why didn't you tell me? I could have
escalated this to the other directors.
Anthony: I was hoping it would all come together and I
didn't want to worry you about it.
Kim: I wish you would have told me about this earlier.
Just give me what you have and I'll make the best of it.
We all want to look good, so when a commitment is
looking shaky, many people try harder to make it
happen, but don't create awareness about the
challenges they are facing. After all, if everything
works out, the commitment will be fulfilled, so why
concern their colleague or boss?
However, waiting to share the risks and obstacles can
have negative impacts. In the example above,
Anthony's lack of communication prevented Kim from
doing anything to manage the situation. She had very
limited time to explore alternative solutions and was
unable to provide resources or support that Anthony
might have used.
Key Action:
If you are concerned that you can't keep a commitment
and are hoping that it will work out, don't wait and see!
Let the people to whom you made the commitment
know about the risks. Explain what you are doing to
navigate the obstacles, explore other options, and
request the support you need.
In teams that work together effectively, team members
relate to commitments as shared goals. When
challenges arise that create doubts about fulfilling a
commitment:
- Share the risk with the person(s) to whom you
made the commitment.
- Let them know what you are doing to navigate the
obstacles.
- Ask for the coaching, resources and support that
would help you fulfill the commitment.
- Offer other options that are possible and discuss
what else could be done to reach the desired
outcome.
- Renegotiate your commitment if appropriate
- Agree on next steps and updates.
- Update anyone else who may be counting on the
commitment regarding the risks and next steps.
Although it may be uncomfortable to communicate that
a commitment is in jeopardy, by explaining the risks,
everyone who also has a stake in the commitment will
have a chance to manage the situation.
