August 2007
Maintaining Grace under Pressure: How to Handle Too Much Direction
By Deborah Hoard, Net Results
I recently received a frenzied call from a business associate needing advice on managing an all-too-common situation in the workplace. He was working on a project for a Fortune 500 company and was being given conflicting directions by three different executives.
“What am I supposed to do? Follow the plan my team originally developed and ignore the recommendations of these senior executives?” he asked. “Or, do I try to please them all and send my team into disarray causing several inevitable fire drills?”
We’ve all been there—reporting to one executive on a specific project and dealing with the challenge of working with several other executives who have differing visions of what the assignment entails and how it should be done.
In a perfect corporate scenario, contractors, consultants and employees all receive their work direction from a single consistent and unchanging source. In today’s fast-paced business world, where reaction is more common than proactive planning, the work process rarely happens this way. So, how do you gracefully handle the pressure of too much direction and still deliver a successful project?
With a simple three-step process, you can gather the information you need to present to your client and, together, make the necessary decisions that will guarantee that you turn a difficult situation into a winner.
- Where Are They Coming From?
If the executive is asking questions about the process of the project, resist the urge to get defensive. She is likely trying to figure out if her idea could improve the process or product before making her recommendation.
It is important to recognize the underlying reasons for additional executive input. There are three distinct reasons why executives are moved to get more involved.
- The competitive landscape has changed. There are several possible scenarios. For example, your company has learned that a competitor’s product will be late to market. Maybe a competitor has just issued a news announcement regarding a new product enhancement or even entry into a new technology. When any of these happen, executives may have their own ideas about what needs to be done in the short-term to preserve the company’s competitive edge.
- Key players were absent during the beginning planning stage. Perhaps a key position was filled late in the process, an executive was not previously considered a key player and now is, or an executive who was busy with another project is now available.
- An executive power play is in the works. You’ve seen this happen. The executive perceives the project as being a high corporate priority with an opportunity for glory and is trying to get her name attached to it. Or the executive is trying to build his empire and wants to leverage the success of this project to gain new headcount or additional budget.
Once you identify a particular executive’s motivation, you can better assess how to respond and what to do with their direction and ideas.
- How to Respond Gracefully
Although you are personally invested in the project, be sure to determine the executive’s motivation and listen sincerely to what is said. Handling the executive’s input requires tact. You can’t ignore it, but at the same time, you can’t give the impression that it will automatically be implemented.
Acknowledge input, set the expectation that the recommendations will be considered but might not be implemented, and inform the executive of next steps.
- Acknowledge:
“I see your point.”
“That makes sense.”
“That’s a good idea.”
- Set expectations that the recommendation may not be used:
“I can’t guarantee that we’ll use it, because the process is already underway.”
“We have a contract to use this vendor, so I’m not sure if we can change that in the short term.”
“Other executives already signed off on this project, so we’ll need to include them in this decision.”
- Share your consideration efforts and next steps:
“Let me think about it and talk to some team members to see what is do-able.”
“Let me talk to my manager and see if she goes for it.”
Now you are ready to present the information to your client.
- Do You Heed the Direction or Not?
After presenting the information to your client, work together to determine the validity of the input by asking the following questions:
- What is the impact on the completed project?
- Will it increase the profit margin?
- Will it sell more products?
- Will it reach more customers?
- Is the additional direction in sync with overall corporate and department goals?
- How does their recommendation affect your project resources?
- Will it require more budget or less?
- Will it require additional people on the team, or will it free up a team member for other duties?
- Will it impact the project deadline?
After answering these questions, you both will have a firm grasp about how best to incorporate the recommendations into the project and determine what your next steps should be.
Be sure to follow up with the executives to inform them of the results and provide the reasoning behind the decisions. Also, let the team know of the new direction so everyone, once again, is on the same page.
The Results
My colleague considered my advice and determined that it was not necessary for him to heed two of the executives’ recommendations. However, he did push his team to incorporate the third executive’s ideas. And he successfully delivered his project to the delight of all of the executives.
@2005 Net Results. All rights reserved.
Author Bio
Deborah Hoard, founder and president of Net Results, has more than 20 years experience of successfully turning around critical marketing communications projects that are in danger of not making their deadlines for top companies such as Apple Computer Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Informatica, Inc., and Oracle Corporation. To learn more, visit her Web site at www.get-net-results.com.
“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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