Leadership Thought #228 – Five Reasons Why Things Don’t Get Done

Leadership Thought #228 – Five Reasons Why Things Don’t Get Done

I’ve been in many organizations in my professional career. In each instance, I’ve always come across a leader or management team who has a grand vision of the future and what’s possible. Ideas abound regarding potential solutions and necessary improvements. I’ve always believed that most people want to do a decent job and make a positive contribution. It is rare to encounter someone in a leadership position who arrives at work each day expecting failure; unfortunately, this situation occurs regularly. There is often a disconnect between what people know should get done and what actually happens. We’ve grown far too accustomed to performance mediocrity and lowering our expectations.

There are typically five reasons why things don’t get done:

  1. Lack of understanding and complete agreement on what needs to be done and when.
  2. There’s a challenge in setting priorities amidst conflicting demands.
  3. There is a lack of effective time management and project planning.
  4. Insufficient resources.
  5. We are not holding people accountable for results.

There are easy fixes to each of these issues.

First, before starting any project or major activity, write the outcome expectations and have everyone affected sign off on them. Have the person write the first draft to ensure they understand the task. Don’t assume that just because you’re having a friendly conversation, what you’re saying is registering and resonating properly. Clarity shouldn’t be optional.

Second, whenever you make decisions on allocating time and resources, consider everything else on someone’s plate. Ask them what they are already working on and if anything needs to be reprioritized. Make sure the most important items always get the highest priority. You also can’t burden people with too much difficulty or complexity at any one time.

Third, most people are terrible at time management. This observation has always struck me as odd because there are simple techniques that can be learned through basic training. Provide time management resources/tools and frequent training so that your people know how to manage their time better. Everyone should know how to plan their work and work their plan. If someone always shows up early and works late, they don’t know how to get their job done promptly and efficiently. Don’t overvalue workaholics. As with everything, the leader should model the behavior he/she wants to see.

Fourth, the formula for achieving anything is basic. The level of effort required is usually a function of the project scope, task difficulty, and resource requirements. Outputs depend on inputs, and the amount of input from employees is primarily determined by the time available. Time is usually related to the breadth and depth of activity, experience requirements (which often require training), tools, and equipment. It’s one thing to run lean. It’s quite another to set people up for failure and not give them what they need to get the job done.

Finally, if you addressed the previous four issues and are still falling behind and not reaching your goals, you either have the wrong people or a flawed accountability system. Failure should not be an option. Mistakes will happen, and you should learn from them, but don’t lose sight of the final objective or lower the performance bar. Keep your people on task and on track. Have regular conversations about deadlines and make course corrections proactively. Don’t ever allow yourself to be surprised by non-performance. Good people will live up to your expectations; if someone can’t or won’t get the job done, find someone else.

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