A member of your project team—let’s call him Flash—fails to complete an important task by the agreed-upon date. You have a cordial conversation, and he explains that the supplier involved was shut down last week for plant maintenance. “OK, that’s legit,” you think to yourself. Flash can’t control the supplier’s maintenance schedule.
A week later, Flash fails to deliver on another important task. You speak with him again, and he explains there was an urgent priority for another project he’s working on. You are aware of this other project, and the division head has made clear that it is, in fact, the top priority.
Another week, another incomplete task, another conversation, and another solid excuse from Flash. Lather, rinse, repeat. Frustrating, but can you really call these “excuses?” His explanations always seem valid.
I started to write a different piece this week, my first after taking the summer off from writing, but there was something in the way.
The story begins with dogs and kids. You see, when our daughter, Abby, was about three, we had two dogs, Marlee and Neo, both standard size labradoodles. For little Abby, they had simply always been there. I think they occurred to her more like older siblings t...
Every manager has been there. A task was assigned. The expectations seemed clear and understood. Time passes. It doesn’t get done.
Every parent has been there, too.
In fact, we've all been there with ourselves.
We tell ourselves, “I must do Task A by the end of the day on Tuesday.” Tuesday comes and goes, and we can’t help but notice that we failed to do the task.
Do this once, and the result i...
Conquering each of Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for overcoming the next.
Trust must be present for a team to engage in productive conflict, but it does not guarantee they will do so.
Conflict is essential for achieving clarity and buy-in, but it does not automatically result in commitment.
Commitment is required for team members to...
Untangled by Retexo
Work, life, and leadership in a complex world.
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