"Not Me" Did It!

I'm sticking with my previous blog theme on the lessons that we learned as children that haven't seemed to evolve even as we have matured into adults...

As a kid when something got broken, eaten, used, left and mom asked who did it..."Not me" just rolled off my tongue with a haste that was pretty remarkable. "Not me" did a lot of things in my house...Sometimes it really wasn't me! Other times, I didn't want to get in trouble or didn't mean any harm when I did the deed...

Fast forward to adulthood and "not me" is still rearing his ugly, blame-deflecting head. We've all been there. You're assigned a project and need a co-worker's help; they don't come through and when the project doesn't get done right or isn't on time, who's fault is it..."NOT ME".

We are generally very good at finding fault in others and rationalizing our own role. What could our co-worker have done to complete the project? What could she have said to help me get my work done? Sound familiar? My favorite..."I told my co-worker what I needed and he didn't deliver. I'm not his manager; I can't make him do it!"

We spend a lot of time rehashing/recreating what others should have done differently. Unfortunately, not enough is done to consider what my role - your role - was at every stage of the project which led to the less than perfect outcomes.

To avoid this situation, communication is the key:

• Define the project outcomes and deliverables - get buy-in early (One of the most under-utilized tools, the "recap". Send an e-mail after the meeting to recap the discuss and ask that your co-worker reply with any changes.)
• Follow-up consistently to make sure that expectations and deadlines are mutual and aligned (set regular meeting to update progress, possibly engaging your manager(s) to ensure that the importance of the project is clear and that your team is on track).
• If the project doesn't seem to be progressing as originally anticipated, enlist third party support - this project may need to be re-prioritized or require additional resources. Get help or guidance from someone who can be fairly objective (make sure though that you are not blaming others for the delay. Even if you feel that a co-worker is at fault, make sure that you include them in discussions on how to proceed as much as possible. You want them to be clear about the project's priority and deadlines)

If a project isn't tracking, you must take ownership of the situation - don't let "not me" take the blame. You want to own the progress of all of your projects as much as possible - this is a mark of a true leader. Also in developing strong working relationships with your co-workers, you don't want to be someone who is known for passing the buck.