No Excuses allowed. Get results when you refuse to accept excuses.
I’m not saying just play hard ball, nor do we slap hands when people come in with an excuse. It’s just that when there is an excuse we are looking at the wrong end of the problem.
When I work with top execs or managers and their teams to improve their ultimate outcomes, their results, I always ask everyone, “Name the characteristics of a good leader.” I’m looking for one main characteristic . . . that good leaders “get results” no matter what.
The important part of all of this is that a good leader knows when to use what tool, and how to approach his followers so that he always gets results, and, in fact, gets those results in the most efficient way.
Now, let’s talk about excuses. If a leader ALWAYS gets results then how do we deal with the fact that some of our followers have an excuse for why they didn’t deliver? In many instances, the excuse sounds reasonable and unavoidable. But is it? Or should we even be asking if it is reasonable? When someone gives us an excuse and it sounds reasonable what can we still say about that? Sometimes
It may sound reasonable
At other times we question whether it was reasonable, or whether it really is an EXCUSE rather than a real event that got in the way.
What happens when we question the person as to whether it was avoidable, or actually reasonable? It likely means conflict and confronting them. It also puts their honesty in doubt doesn’t it? So, either we don’t challenge them, just accept it . . . Or it may take time to dig into the reality of the situation, to play detective to check out their story. That takes time out of our day when the reason we asked them to do whatever it was that we asked them to do was to take a load off of us and reduce our time commitment. Sort of counter productive.
Another choice that leaders, executives, managers, supervisors, frequently make is, instead of confronting the person, or taking the time to play detective, they believe that it’s much easier to just ACCEPT whatever B.S. they are told and not face the conflict. The end result is that excuses become a way of life. And, most leaders will tell you just that. But does it really matter whether the explanation is valid or not? Who really cares? What matters is that the RESULTS were NOT achieved when you needed it.
The consequences of not delivering exist whether there is an excuse or not. So, does it really matter whether the excuse seems valid or not? The ultimate outcome you wanted didn’t happen. And the ultimate outcome that did happen may have dire consequences . . . whether there is a valid excuse or not. So, getting results is all that really counts.
Why it didn’t happen isn’t important. The most important thing is that we didn’t get the RESULTS. So how do we deal with this? As I said, a leader always gets results, and you, as a leader must always have that focus. What do you think would happen if every one of those you lead felt the same way? They ALWAYS get results!!!! Wouldn’t they deliver despite having problems? In fact, shouldn’t they expect problems and avoid them through preparation and planning? So, let’s look at how we’ve handled this.
What would happen if excuses are not allowed? I’m not talking about the fact that “things happen”, because things do happen.
However, all of the issues I mentioned above are looking at the wrong end of the picture. They are all “looking back” after the event that caused the excuse has happened. What would happen if we look forward to how we could prepare to avoid problems before they happen? Wouldn’t an excuse then only represent the fact that we didn’t plan well enough? Therefore, what would happen if we said, “No excuses allowed”?
In other words, excuses are avoidable if we plan properly. No excuses allowed! How many times have people been late for work and said, “It was traffic,” or “someone else got in the way or did something” or when you were depending upon someone else to deliver a part of the project but they didn’t, or they didn’t deliver on time? Could any of that be avoided by proper planning? Of course! Most of it could.
The excuse that someone was late for work “due to traffic” is more likely due to the fact that they didn’t leave for work in time to allow for the variation that happens in traffic. In other words, it could have been avoided. It may normally take you 30 minutes to drive to work, but once a week or so, due to a funeral that got in the way, or some other change in traffic it will take 45 minutes, or even an hour.
At work that day you were to meet with a critical client, and by the time you got there, they had already left. The cost could have been millions of dollars. It could even mean your job . . . or someone else’s job that you were responsible to. So, whose fault is it? Not the traffic! The only thing that mattered was that you got results, or didn’t get results, not that you were late or who’s fault it was.
When we are waiting for someone else to deliver, did we have an agreement in place of what was to happen if and when the schedule was in jeopardy? Did we make it clear what the consequence to the company, to us, would be? Do we have an agreement of just how important it is and what the backup plan would be if we find ourselves behind schedule?
When something happens that is truly catastrophic and unavoidable, IF we’ve planned for the unknown we are prepared when it does happen. Let’s say that there is a death in the family of one of your most critical people. If they’ve made sure that there is someone ready to take over it won’t be that much of a problem (at least at work, now the employee can deal with his own problems, and probably just make one phone call to hand it we plan projects with room for a little slippage, when something unforeseen happens we’re not devastated. When a vendor has a problem. No critical slip up occurs.
Sometimes, we, as leaders, think that those we work with may handle the situation just as we would, but, frequently in the heads of our followers it just isn’t that important, so when it slips, they just go on about their business as usual. Yet, as the leader who always delivers results, when something did happen to jeopardize the schedule even when we did everything to head it off, we would likely have shifted priorities or worked over to make sure it was done.
For your followers to understand that, we have to have an agreement in place of just how important it is, where this fits in the priorities (they may have to move something else out of the way to make THIS happen, or they may have to work over). In other words, excuses are avoidable by preplanning. No excuses allowed. Not from our own results, nor from those that follow us as their leader.
We’ve talked about VISION and what the end result and the path to that end result look like. Well, if we make it clear that for anyone who is responsible to us “no excuses allowed” and show them that it is their responsibility to deliver when they have agreed to deliver on time then we’ve taken the first step to making sure that “there are no excuses” and that we always get results. All that matters is RESULTS.
That happens by making sure the pre planning-that is, the system and the processes-are correct and in place in advance, that we have mutual agreements, prioritization, backup plans, understanding of what the consequences are for not living up to the agreements. When the setup, the preplanning is correct, the systems are then in place to significantly reduce the chance of excuses . . . and the RESULTS follow. No Excuses allowed – always get results yourself and with your team.
When I say, all that matter is results, I frequently get a few that say, but what about the people, sympathy, maintaining relationships, and treating people right? Doesn’t this “no excuses” approach work against maintaining relationships and helping our employees?
NO! We aren’t saying that there is NEVER, EVER anything that just happens beyond our control, nor that we aren’t sympathetic when someone gets slammed by the unexpected. However, it does say that by planning we will ALL be MUCH more successful and happier. That, by planning, we’ll head off probably 80-90% of all surprises and become lots more successful. We’ve gotten into the habit of accepting excuses, and that has encouraged people to make them rather than avoid them.
When you say “no excuses” don’t make it sound like a reprimand. Make it clear that we, as a team, have a positive plan to avoid the issues that cause the need for explaining away why someone didn’t deliver on schedule, or as promised. It’s saying, we’ll always deliver on time by avoiding what causes the slip ups.
I’ve seen my clients more than double the results they deliver while raising the team’s level of passion and excitement. It does work!
First, show your team the importance of “no excuses” and focusing on “getting results.” Show them how to plan ahead, and make it clear that when something is important to you as the leader, to the business, and the consequences of not delivering are significant, that we plan to make it happen even over obstacles that are always there. No Excuses.
Successful people don’t make excuses. They deliver, they get results. Therefore, we are helping everyone on our team become successful even when things happen.
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