How to Keep Collaborators from Stalling Your Progress
Keep your projects running quickly by setting the right terms with collaborators.
It’s hard to get things done quickly when collaborating because we need to involve other parties in the decision making. For example: The resident expert of Bees, Inc. insists we shouldn’t publish the final draft of our report, “The State of Bumblebee Populations in Arid and Desert Climates” until he’s given final approval. You sent it last week and he promised his changes by Friday. Friday comes and goes and you’ve heard nothing. Without confirmation on the all-important Honey Strategies chapter, you can’t move forward.
Luckily, Bernice never has this problem. She’s planning her wedding and her mom has insisted on final approval of every aspect, of course. She sent mom details on the floral arrangements three weeks ago and hasn’t heard a thing. But she’s not worried. Such a simple matter won’t stall the wedding, right?
Here are 4 Quick & Dirty tips to keep your projects moving, even when someone does their best to stall them:
Tip #1 – Don’t Let a Reviewer Keep You From Acting
When Mom says Bernice needs her approval to continue with the wedding plans, Bernice agrees – but then adds one little condition: “I will await your approval with great eagerness. However, if you don’t get back to me by Friday, I will assume everything is fine and will continue moving forward.” When her mom pushes back and insists that Friday is too soon, Bernice is terribly understanding. “Of course,” she says, “at what date should I keep moving forward?”
What Bernice has done here is decide when the project will move forward. By giving the reviewer a deadline and telling the reviewer what will happen if they miss said deadline, she’s satisfied their need to give input without adding an unknown delay to her own plans.
Tip #2 – Don’t Let a Reviewer Keep Themselves From Acting
This is all well and good if Mom is holding up Bernice; Bernice can just move forward on her own if Mom misses the deadline. But sometimes the reviewer is insisting on a review before they take action. Mom says, “I must approve the flowers before I’m willing to give you the guest list.” This is how Mom plays power games. Suddenly, I understand Bernice much better.
You can use the same technique here as in Tip #1. Specify a deadline, and get the other person to agree that they will move forward by that deadline if they haven’t proposed an alternative. “Why, Mom, that’s a lovely idea. Can we agree that if you’re too busy to review the flowers by Friday, you’ll give me the guest list anyway? I don’t want to hold you up if you’re too busy.” Hopefully Mom will agree. In this case, there’s no way to guarantee that Mom will keep moving on her responsibilities, but getting her up-front agreement on a solid deadline makes for a much stronger bargaining position when Mom wants to hold off on sending the guest list.
Tip #3 – Don’t Stall Others When You’re the Reviewer
When you’re on the other side of a review request, you can introduce these same terms. That way, you’ll not be responsible for stalling someone else. When Bernice asked me what I thought of the dinner menu, I said, “I’ll review it right away, but if you don’t hear back from me within a week, take that as my approval. I wouldn’t want to hold things up.” Not only does this take the pressure off me, but it ensures that Bernice won’t get stalled by my busy schedule.
Tip #4 – Ask for Group Feedback by Raising the Bar
When you need an entire group to review a report, you can still set a deadline. But since everyone will want to add their two cents, set the bar a bit higher. Give the group a deadline for their review, after which you’ll move forward. But instead of asking people to send comments, ask them to make the changes to the actual report. Have them turn on Track Changes in their computer so that you can see their input easily and merge all the changes when the deadline comes around.
It makes the group’s life a bit harder, but that’s OK. If some grumpus doesn’t want to make the changes directly in the report, you’re free to gently point out that this is the only way you can feasibly add their brilliance to the report. If they don’t care enough to do a little typing, perhaps this isn’t the best time for them to contribute.
Bernice used this technique to survey her bridesmaids for reactions to their dress design. She says decisions that affect the group should be approved by the group. I pointed out that she still hasn’t involved Melvin in the decision to get married in the first place. “Some decisions are so obvious, it would unnecessarily delay the planning.”
This morning Bernice’s Mom left me a tearful voicemail saying that carnations with candy valentine hearts glued on are not elegant. The Maid of Honor called sobbing. The only phrase I could make out was “all that lace, oh God, so much lace.” No one has the courage to pass on their opinion. But if they stay quiet, the train wreck—I mean the wedding—will go on. It’s time for Bernice and I to talk. Maybe I’ll even invite Melvin. So much for my plan to chicken out of telling her she might want to consider a wedding dinner that doesn’t feature six different preparations of liver.
Work Less, Do More, and have a Great Life!
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