Balancing Commitments and Delivery

Assertive employees often raise their hand for new assignments, additional workload, and the opportunity to show their worth. They seek new challenges and expect to deliver; they picture themselves holding up the end result like a trophy and everyone congratulating them for a job well done. This sometimes happens and they become fast-trackers, moving onward and upward faster than anyone could imagine.

What about the others?

Others are sometimes assertive on the front side, they crave opportunities, they willingly offer to take on new tasks and assignments, but the bad news is, they seldom deliver. Perhaps it is over commitment, or a very limited span of attention. Perhaps it is their need for the feeling of belonging, of being visible, or being valued by the group. Sadly their promises often fall short of expectations and the people, teams, and even the entire organization feel let down and dissatisfied.

If this is you, an overcommitted and stressed out employee armed with good intentions but lacking the time and resources to deliver, there is good news. Control your urge to over commit by realizing that it isn’t what you volunteer for that counts, it is what you deliver. Find the balance between commitments and your ability to deliver.

The fast-tracker already figured this out!

 

- DEG

Who Are You?

What is your elevator speech? You know that short paragraph or expressions that describes who you are and what you do. 

Do you know who you are? Sometimes your inability to define who you are is not only a matter of not being up-to-date on your elevator speech, but it is a matter of understanding yourself.

Right now, I am asking you, “Who are you?” In our personal or professional lives we sometimes feel forced to be the person that someone else wants us to be. Worse yet we sometimes allow ourselves to become “invisible.” We become so introverted (introversion is not necessarily bad) that we fail to be noticed by others. Fear, pressure, and obedience represent at least three of the factors that may drive us into this place.

The good news is this, if you are truly determined to become successful you can break out of the mold or frame that you or others have placed upon you. Have courage to take your own path, forget about the pressure that someone else has placed on you; and obedience, well quite honestly that only brings one thought to my mind. Training a four legged furry creature we know as man’s best friend.

It is unlikely that someone else will make you successful, so only you can make YOU successful.

So I’m asking. Who are YOU?

 

- DEG

Beyond My Control

“It was beyond my control!”

Circumstances may sometimes be beyond our control but our lives should not be driven by circumstances. We should be driving the outcomes and accepting the responsibility for the choices that we make. Blaming others, or blaming “circumstances” for unfavorable outcomes in your life may help ease the sense of discipline, responsibility, and accountability but it will not change future outcomes.

Not every decision or choice may be the best but we have the opportunity to continuously seek new paths or directions as we analyze the outcomes of our choices. Even the smartest and most visionary minds of today sometimes make bad choices. The difference between those who are successful and those who are not is that successful people accept responsibility and make changes. 

Acceptance of responsibility gives us the opportunity for personal growth. It gives us the opportunity to learn from mistakes, and most importantly it gives us the opportunity for another choice, the choice to get it right. 

It’s not beyond your control – it’s waiting for you. Are you going to take this opportunity or leave it “on the table?”

 

- DEG

6 Steps to Effective Delegation (Part 4 of 6)

4. Establish Meaningful Timelines and Milestones.

Will the project or task be completed on time? Supervisors and direct reports alike often worry about meeting deadlines. The idea of establishing timelines and milestones at the start of any project is essential for effective delegation.

Delegation efforts that include the use of meaningful timelines and milestones also provide the opportunity to ensure accountability. Many workplace professionals struggle with the idea of accountability. They worry about how to monitor or establish accountably and how to respond in situations where the desired outcomes are less than expected. Effective delegation establishes opportunities up front to monitor progress and to provide feedback. Most employees want to be successful and by establishing the expectations and timelines up front project monitoring becomes part of the assignment.

Checking project status at predefined timelines and milestones is most effective when we have established metrics and measurements.