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Case study pushing back on big boss impossible deadline while protecting their power
I think the idea of answering that you will do whatever possible to shorten the time-frame, while implying you cannot guarantee it, is golden. It shows a willingness to work hard and at the same time a grounding in factual reality. You keep redirecting it to reality without imposing. Also, you keep redirecting her suggestions that you are the sole person responsible to the reality that "the whole group needs a concerted effort to do this".
It's really another level. And, you always reserve the possibility to come back to big boss after having worked on shortening the time-frame, to say "nope, sorry, impossible" or "we can shorten it to 5 months, but not to 3".
The rage is relentless
We need a movement with a quickness
You are the witness of change
And to counteract
We gotta take the power back
:)
Quote from Matthew Whitewood on December 20, 2021, 8:36 amIt does seem to assume a radical candour environment which a lot of corporates do not have.
Yes, exactly.
And that's the issue with some of those proposed lines: they're great.. for 1% of workplaces (or people). That means that, most of the times, they're good on paper.
Quote from Bel on December 20, 2021, 6:30 pmAnother option: if you are confident you can find another job in less than the time-frame the big boss wants, you could in theory just say "Of course! Will do!" and then just leave the hot potato to her when you change jobs. She, of course, would have done the same to you viceversa.
Or, if you are an external consultant, you have yet another option: do it in the shorter time-frame, but increase the fees.
But I don't like the answer in the book:
I get we’re in a tough spot here. I don’t want to disappoint our leadership any more than you do. And I want you to know that I’m committed to getting stuff done. At the same time, I want us to set realistic goals; otherwise, we’re setting ourselves up to fail. And maybe even more important, I want us to work together in a way where we’re up front with each other about our needs and concerns.”
It places blame on you when you did nothing wrong ("I don't want to disappoint..."), it expresses commitment that should be presupposed, it requests clarity to a person who is obviously committed to muddling the waters and blaming you covertly. Total loss of power. These people only understand actions and consequences.
Great post.
Loved the Machiavellian approach of "yes-ing", and then moving out before the troubles start :).
The only risk with that is that you can ruin your reputation along the way -and it's a very real risk-.
And great analysis on the book's answer.
Asking clarity and honesty to a manipulator only makes you look naive and weak. And it even makes you lose respect with the game player. To game players, appeals to honesty and clarity sound like bullshiting.
And "I don't want to disappoint our leadership" gives judge power to leadership.
It's a rather weak position to be in when you don't want to "disappoint" someone.
I ve got a friend who is what they call a master project scheduler highly paid and works in the top end of town. Basically a high ranked courtier. He evaluates Execs on how smart they are and how well they play games. How hard they work doesn't seem to matter.
@lucio you don't see any issues with the answer I proposed?
Quote from Transitioned on December 21, 2021, 7:10 amSandrine: Well . . . when I looked at it, it seemed like you should be able to finish the whole thing by the end of this quarter.
Wendy: Sounds good. It would be fantastic if we could pull that off. We'd need everything to bounce our way. The team has come back with an initial estimate of 6 months. I'll get them working on how we could pull that back right away (5. Take quick action for her)
I feel Wendy could generally be higher power.
I think this is a key moment.
The boss tells the project manager (Wendy) when the project should finish.
But it's the PM's main task to handle and communicate timelines.
If you let that slide, then you're at the boss's mercy for the timelines.
And the boss feels like he can tell you when the project should finish.
Ideally, you'd want enough power that you say what are the timelines, depending on the resources and constraints you've got.
Of course there can be some negotiations and push-backs, but you don't want to be told and adapt 100%.
So I'd put the "6 months" first.
And then maybe add "is there anything that makes you think it could go faster?"
Or maybe comment on that:
Wendy: Hmmm, end of the quarter, from the early analysis we've done, that's the most optimistic scenario. Not impossible, but not the most likely either. At this point, I had in mind 6 months as the most realistic scenario.
What do you think about it.
That defends your power as the one responsible for timelines, while also respecting the boss and showing openness and willigness to talk and communicate.
Then let the boss comment on that.
Edit:
typos, small improvements.
Thank you. That was the capstone I d been searching for ! Script is a wrap. I d gone too far in the appeasement direction.
Quote from Transitioned on December 22, 2021, 5:54 amThank you. That was the capstone I d been searching for ! Script is a wrap. I d gone too far in the appeasement direction.
Yeah, exactly, overall very smooth, but even better if a bit lower in appeasement and higher in power.
