Deadlines
When I worked as an investment banker and as a management consultant I learned a valuable lesson about the importance of deadlines. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the pressure to perform, the long working hours and the all nighters were good training for me.
When a Managing Director says that he needs the offering memorandum by Tuesday morning and the financial model by Wednesday night – that’s when he needs it. And it’s your ass if he doesn’t get it.
When a client expects the data or the presentation at a certain time, that’s when they expect it. They’ve planned meetings around the information that you are providing. The next steps in their business are riding on your delivery.
You are given the tools to do your job. Excuses don’t cut it. You are expected to go past the extra mile. If you don’t deliver a high quality product in a timely manner there are no warm conversations about the personal obstacles that may have delayed you. There are no consultations about the importance of teamwork and the valuable contribution you can make. There are no DISC profiles completed nor executive coaches called in to offer support. Quite simply, you can and you will be replaced for missing deadlines.
In fact, the deadlines were so important that I was often given “false deadlines” – a deadline that was ahead of the actual deadline – to be sure that there was room to spare, time for last minute changes in pursuit of perfection, or just to make sure that I hadn’t screwed things up entirely. I hated false deadlines. I often missed weekends or changed personal plans to meet a deadline that turned out not to be a deadline after all.
I must admit though, that despite the pressure and because of false deadlines, I don’t recall ever missing a deadline. I must have missed one or two, but by and large no matter the sacrifice, my work product was where it was supposed to be when it was supposed to be there.
Even today I worry about missing deadlines big and small. If I can’t make a commitment I will go out of my way to let a teammate, friend or family member know when they can expect delivery (and on the rare occasion that I don’t do that, you can bet that I missed the deadline intentionally for some reason.) My stomach cramps and I can’t sleep at the thought of missing a deadline. Unfortunately, I often wonder if I am the only one who takes such commitments so seriously.
As my career has progressed I have come to discover just how rare it is for people to have had or remembered training similar to mine, and to take their commitments to meeting deadlines to heart. How many times have you been let down by someone not delivering what they said that they would, when they said they would do it?
Nevertheless, I try to avoid providing false deadlines to my colleagues. Rather, I try as often as possible to permit them to suggest reasonable deadlines that match their schedules. But all too often I am disappointed, saddened or angered when the person I am counting on misses an agreed upon deadline – often without so much as an email or phone call.
And when I do get a heads up, no matter how elaborate or dismissive the excuse for the tardiness, they all boil down to “I failed to plan properly” or “I didn’t feel like working hard enough to meet the goal.” Both pretty sorry statements.
I now understand even more clearly just how big a deal deadlines are. Not just because the boss wants it, or because the client needs it (although those are pretty good reasons), but because a deadline represents a commitment to whatever team you are playing on or working with. Perhaps more importantly, your ability to adhere to deadlines is a representation of your commitment to excellence and a hallmark of your character.
Whether the Heat or the Mavericks win the NBA championship this year will depend in large part on which teams’ players are most often in precisely the right place on the court at the right time – meeting the deadline. Navy Seal Team 6 was able to go inland to Abbottabad, Pakistan undetected to the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed without a single injury to American soldiers because everyone was in place when they were supposed to be – meeting the deadlines. Tax day is April 15th – a deadline that is not to be trifled with! And in business, contracts are won, customers are well served, equipment is maintained in operable condition, expenses are reduced and profits maximized only when deadlines are met. In short, without meeting deadlines the team will fail; and the greater the commitment to deadlines the more successful the team will be.
Dream Big Then – what? Drafting this note has reaffirmed my commitment to the notion that “you can and you will be replaced” if you can’t Execute. No team can #DBTE without meeting deadlines.
