Tomas just left the weekly staff meeting with his boss, Joanne. In the meeting, he received some bad news: his request for additional resources to meet the project timeline was not approved. Joanne made it clear that while she was sympathetic to his situation, she expected Tomas and his team to deliver his products on time and on schedule. She also conveyed her confidence in his ability to keep the team on track.
Tomas now needs to deliver this message to his team at their next meeting. All the reasons that Joanne laid out for the decision made sense, but that won’t make it any easier to share with his team.
In sharing the expectation that his team will continue to meet their implementation deadlines, even with limited resources, it will be important that Tomas:
a. Also offer comp time that can be taken after the critical deadlines have been met.
b. Ensure that his subordinates feel empowered to collaborate on tasks.
d. Emphasize the pressure from “up the chain of command” so everyone recognizes how important the deadlines are.