The business world is an urgent world. At least that's what managers want you to believe. Take a deep breath, lean back, and get real.
Here's the skinny: managers are paid to get results. The consequence is that they talk urgent, like a speeded up newscaster. So don't get spooked. It is exceedingly rare for any manager to move as fast as he or she talks. One of the few, really frustrating truths I've learned in nearly 30 years of consulting is that my understanding of urgent is different than my client's understanding of urgent. I've always got more time to respond than I initially thought. In the back of my mind is an important footnote: Bosses, even CEO's don't push McKinsey consultants and other powerful people with "urgent requests." McKinsey, in very measured and articulate fashion, will push back on corporate people so that they can do the job in the form they want and make the money they expect.
Here are four tips on how to respond to an urgent request, borrowed and freely adjusted from Ron Ashkenas.
- Don't think that urgent means right now. Talk to your boss or your client about what he wants accomplished. And in the conversation, move beyond the specific, concrete task to his objective. He'll want to talk task, you want objective. What will this task achieve for him? Be smart about the question. Respond like, "so what you want from me is blah, blah, blah. Right?" If he says yes, then ask how doing that fits into his overall objective. If he tells you to "just do it," respond with, "I can do a lot better job for you if I understand how this fits into . . . ."
- Listen for the politics. Here's my rule: All tasks have a political component. Who besides your client or your boss is making this an urgent matter? That information will help you make a timeline decision. If it's the CEO or board chairman, get your ass in gear. If it's several of your boss's colleagues, you can usually slow down.
- Respond, but don't be in a hurry to act. Get real. Ninety-five percent of the time when you finish the task for your boss or your client, it'll sit on his desk for a week or more before he does anything with it. Think about it. Your boss probably needs to clear out his in-basket. Since he'd like to get it done today, that's his rationale for making the task urgent. You might say, "OK. I have number of high priority tasks, but I can get it done by the end of next week. Will that be OK with you?" Don't forget that one of the reasons that your boss is a manager is that he's learned how to juggle priorities. You can be certain that he knows how to put off projects for other priorities, so your request will be a familiar issue.
- Be prepared to say no. Once you've figured out whether it's a real crisis or your boss (or client) is crying wolf, then you're ready to say yes or no. If your client or your boss thinks he needs something right now, it's quite OK to decline the request. A second way of saying no to your boss is to force him to reprioritize your tasks. Say something like, "I understand that this task is urgent, but you've given me a number of priorities . . . A, B, and C. How would you suggest that I repriortize?"
There is a very important, and "urgent" assumption under all of this. And that is that you have an effective and open relationship with your boss. In today's economic climate, success with your boss is your highest priority. Don't skim over that. Your boss is your highest priority, not your other tasks. That means that you manage him. If he trusts that you manage him and his needs well, you can probably get away with murder. You're too valuable to him, personally, to ignore. Check out my posts on managing up. In one especially potent blog, I reveal the real secret to managing your boss.
Erwin rule: business never moves as fast as it would like the world to think. Plodding along, making slow, political decisions is the norm. If you think government moves slowly, check out business. It moves just as slowly and makes just as many mistakes. Maybe more. I have that info on good authority from leading execs. Business just has better PR.