Are you Un-Ready?

Here's the scenario: You (the boss) have this new assignment that needs to be completed in short order (nothing new there) so you call a quick meeting to let your staff know what you need and when you need it by. But instead of heads nodding, information-clarifying questions, and brain-storming on "here's how we might do this," you get lectured by your staff as to why this is a particularly bad task to undertake.

Ever been there?

For those of you who have, you know you now have more than one problem to resolve. The first problem, of course, is whatever the original assignment is (that still needs to be worked ). The second problem, though, is that your staff is clearly "un-ready" to accept such new and unplanned challenges. And that un-readiness is the bigger problem of the two.

Note that I did not suggest that your staff was unwilling to accept this new assignment (although they very well might not be) - I suggested that they were not ready to accept it.

Now let's flip the table and say that instead of you being the boss, you're the direct report. Your boss has called a meeting and is now laying out the requirements of a new, high-priority, assignment.

Ever been here?!

But this time, I want you to STOP and get totally conscious about your thoughts. Are they actively moving you forward , trying to figure out how you might satisfactorily complete the assignment? Or have they got you stuck in neutral as you hear yourself rant about how much work you already have to do, how ill-conceived the assignment is, or how flat-out wrong this priority is?

Truth is, it's probably one or the other, so which is it? More importantly, which one would your boss say it is?

You see while I usually have no problem railing about lousy bosses and bad management, sometimes there truly is a legitimate need to get something additional done, notwithstanding what's already in process. So do what you need to do to be ready to engage in the "how to" discussion, ASAP.

Even if you have too much work on your plate, the stronger move is still to brainstorm the "how to" ASAP.

Why? Because you can't accurately judge how much time/effort a new assignment will really take if you haven't thought it through. (And don't think your boss doesn't know that.)

By thinking things through collaboratively, you not only can more accurately 'size' the assignment, but you can also use your conclusions to better articulate why you can't just squeeze it in to what you're already doing - if in fact that is the case. Remember: whining is not a cogent argument.

Bottom Line: Don't be "Un-Ready" to think through new assignments that come your way. Ready? Set? Go!