The Art of Handling Out of Your Control Office Snafus & Gaining a Reputation for Efficiency in the Process   

In the early years of my career I can’t tell you how many times I kicked myself for failing to — properly and thoroughly — protect myself at work (otherwise known as the acronym “CYA”). The usual scenario was that I generally trusted my coworkers on projects and naively crossed off tasks on a project’s “to-do” list as soon as commitments were made by them, trusting that they would hold up their end of the bargain. Then, it never failed that when the project was falling apart and a finger was pointed at me, the person responsible had no memory of our agreement, and I didn’t have the paper-trail backup to show the commitment not being done.

The tipping-point for me was a former boss who was infinitely forgetful: on one occasion, she and I had made a commitment to the CEO, but she completely “forgot” about her action item. Regardless of who forgot about what, the CEO simply viewed it as “our” failure. As painful as it was at the time, I had finally learned my lesson.

Make Planning, Documentation and Communication Your Risk Management Tools

After that, I remember one of my amazing mentors telling me, “Anne, you just have to learn how to help yourself by keeping people accountable for their end of the bargain.” At the time, I pondered her direction and thought, how do I do that without annoying or making the other person angry, especially when they are at a higher level than me?

Nowadays, I don’t struggle as much with this dilemma: first of all, I’m in a role where documenting is part of the standard process. Secondly, I have enough experience and judgment now to sniff out people and situations that require an additional level of care and scrutiny.  However, the scenario of properly diffusing risk and ensuring things go as worry-free as possible still comes up from time to time.

If you are a person who struggles with this, pay special attention to the following pieces of advice:

• • • Are you dealing with an issue or situation that involves any level of risk? If the answer is yes, email a recap of the situation to your boss or someone in charge. If you are the person in charge, email a recap to yourself for documentation purposes. During an investigation, legal or otherwise, this type of documentation is way more helpful than your verbal recollection.
    • When making commitments as a group, email a recap of assigned tasks and deadlines to everyone involved, even those above you. This allows for changes if anything was misinterpreted, but also maintains accountability for all involved.
    • If you had an unpleasant exchange that is outside of the norm, notify your boss or someone in charge. Generally, the first person to report a situation is trusted as providing an accurate story, whether true or not.
    • If you’ve made a request, or addressed a situation a couple of times without a proper response, copy the recipient’s boss for visibility. This is an invaluable tool that most folks are hesitant to use because they don’t want the other person to get angry. I say, are you working for you, or are you working for the other person? Do whatever is necessary to be effective, and don’t accommodate someone else’s lack of follow-through.
    • Use good judgment: if a situation seems sticky, make sure to engage your boss and make bullet- point notes along the way. Don’t write a novel, but make sure to document the main points, dates and people involved.
    • If you are a manager dealing with a tricky employee, make sure to have a witness involved in one-on-one meetings and performance discussions, and always document responsibilities, commitments and timelines.
    • If your boss is super hands-off, send a recurring recap of your work activities and achievements in order to ensure you’re both on the same page. Any good leader will appreciate your willingness to report on your productivity.
    • If a situation with a coworker or outside partner is escalating to an uncomfortable level, never hesitate to notify that person’s boss, and request intervention. Remember, complaints don’t usually fix themselves, and being direct in your attempt to resolve concerns is really important. Taking a passive approach most often leads to more pain and more problems.
    • Instead of asking for permission to go a different direction or to move forward, I love to send an email stating, “If I don’t receive a response from you by whatever date I will proceed with my plan to….” This usually either prompts a response, or gives the other person permission not to respond, with the understanding that action will be taken.