Episode Summary
In this episode of Mondays with Mike, Mike Staver addresses a common management challenge: an employee consistently missing deadlines despite claiming they’re doing their best. Mike suggests starting by re-emphasizing the deadline and ensuring the manager was clear about expectations. He then advises discussing the downstream importance of meeting deadlines and diagnosing the root cause of the missed deadline by asking “what” questions instead of judgmental ones. If it’s a pattern, he recommends increasing follow-ups and breaking down the task into smaller increments to provide more support and accountability.
Key Takeaways
- Before addressing missed deadlines, ensure you were clear about expectations, delivery mechanisms, and what needed to be done.
- Discuss the downstream importance of making the deadline to provide context and motivation.
- Diagnose the cause of missed deadlines by asking “what” questions about obstacles, and offer to remove them.
- If missed deadlines are a pattern, increase the frequency of follow-ups and break tasks into smaller increments
Notable Quotes
- “I would start with re-emphasizing the deadline.”
- “What is it that got in the way of the expectation, this is assuming they’re clear about the deadline and they were adequately resourced.”
- “If they still are missing the deadline, start breaking down the deadline into increments and have quicker follow-ups with them.”
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