Lame Excuses That Damage Your Career
Submitted by SharpMan Editorial Team on Sunday 10th October 2010- Claiming ignorance.
- Invoking the job description.
- Blaming others.
- Quick tips for never having to use excuses.
You know the situation: a project is running late and your boss is looking to you for an explanation. The temptation is strong to deny responsibility. You could easily blame the production team, the technical guys, the administrative staff — basically, anyone but you.
Good idea? Not really.
Pawning off responsibility on others may prevent the boss’s wrath from falling on you at that moment, but may ultimately paint you as a guy who’s not "a leader." The bottom line? It backfires more often than it helps. Ultimately, this m.o. can damage the upward trajectory of your career.
Why?
A boss is not impressed by a SharpMan who can't admit he has made a mistake and move on to remedying that mistake — which is what upper-level guys have to do all the time. Fobbing situations off with lame excuses damages your image as a professional who’s ready to move to the next level.
Got a project under your belt? Hoping to? Avoid the following common "pawn off" techniques and check out our tips for handling a bad situation when corporate disaster strikes:
Claiming Ignorance
This category of excuses easily rolls off our tongues. We'd all love to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that we just didn’t know what was going on. Check out the lines and why they backfire in the boss’s mind:
"I didn't know I was supposed to do that."
The problem: The real question in the boss’s mind is, why didn’t you know? Did you miss the meeting? Miss something that was said at the meeting? Did you delegate that task to someone else? What may be innocent on your part actually looks like a ball-drop to the boss.
The bottom line: The boss assumes it is your responsibility to find out exactly what your tasks are going to be and to carry them out. Most bosses expect you to monitor the progress of the project — even when a part of it has been assigned to a coworker. By staying on top of the overall progress of everyone involved, you’ll have a heads up on what’s being done and what needs to be done, and a professional answer when asked.
How do you do this? We suggest keeping a running list of what’s going on and who’s doing what. Check and add to your list daily, and make periodic phone calls or send e-mails to those who are doing work with you. If you are not the project manager, avoid looking like a snoop by making your communications sound inquisitive or helpful.
"Nobody told me…"
The problem: The real question on the boss’s mind is, what do you mean nobody told you? Do you need to be reminded to check up on every detail? Haven’t you been checking on the progress of the project at set periods? Did you read all memos? All e-mails? Did you make yourself accessible to those involved in the project? The point is, guys who look like candidates for promotion are those who make their boss’s jobs easier — those who take it upon themselves to check stuff out on their own.
The bottom line: The single biggest problem in most workplaces is miscommunication. If you head a project, or even if you are simply on a project and would like to move up, you must encourage and facilitate communication. Using the list suggested above, periodically communicate with those on the project at regular intervals. Plan or suggest regular meetings to receive updates on the project and iron out any potential problems.
Invoking the Job Description
When we are asked to go beyond our normal daily duties to help get a project out the door, it is often tempting to fall back on the strict definition of our job descriptions. Forget it. By weaseling out, you earn negative points in the "team player" category, while blowing your opportunity to look like a guy who’s on his way up. Check out this short list of common, career-killing responses:
"That's not my job."
The problem: OK, so normally it wouldn't be your job, but with a deadline looming, it should be all hands on deck. That’s what your boss is thinking and expecting. Employers love to see teamwork in action.
The bottom line: Without fail, this "state of emergency" will come up when your hands are already full, when you’ve got a hot date or when you’re taking off for the airport for that much-anticipated vacation. That’s just the way it is. But the thing is, participating in and encouraging this "team save" by throwing yourself in wherever you are needed just makes you look good.
Barring non-refundable tickets, skip the excuses ("I got a class…") and get to work. Pointing out your scheduling problem only makes you look bad. You’ll probably end up staying anyway, but lose the opportunity to look good. You can always slip your sacrifice into a later casual conversation with the boss. What will stand out in his or her mind is that you got the job done.
"This is not what I was hired for."
The problem: Your boss is thinking, "And that’s what you’ll be fired for, buddy. Now get to work!"
The bottom line: Employees are hired to do a particular job, certainly. However, they are also hired to contribute to the greater effort of helping to run a company efficiently and successfully. Therefore, all workers are expected to do what they can, where they can, to see that the company succeeds. Sometimes this means pitching in on menial tasks that would better suit lower-level support staff. If you're not willing to do this, you’ll end up sending a negative signal to your boss: you’re either not committed to the company, or you fail to see the "big picture." In any case, you’re not the kind of guy who should be moved up.
However, if you find that you are constantly being asked to perform tasks that are beneath your skill set and are better suited to lower support staff, see Telling Your Boss That He/She Is Wrong.
Blaming Others
Chances are, the screw-up is not your fault — it belongs to the team at large. Of course, if you search hard enough, you can always find a scapegoat. Regardless, ducking is career suicide:
"The production team was late getting its part of the project to me."
The problem: The boss is thinking, why didn’t I hear about this sooner? Did you find out why it was late? Did you do anything to alter the schedule so that other aspects of the project could move along? Did you fail to help those employees solve whatever problem they were having?
The bottom line: Again, we're back to teamwork and communication. If you use the project list recommended above, you’ll know about slow-downs before your boss does. This will help you move other aspects along and will also allow you to give management a heads up, get constructive suggestions on going forward, and avoid surprises down the line.
"I've been waiting for the research results."
The problem: Your boss is looking at you like you’re an idiot at best, a liar at worst. He’s thinking, did you ask for them, rather than just wait until they came to you? Did you find out if there was a delay and how you could help? Did you set a strict deadline for the results?
The bottom line: Never just sit around and wait for part of a project to come to you. By using your project list, you can schedule a check-up call or e-mail (but a call is best) a few days before the information is expected. This lets the people at the other end know you’re waiting, so whatever you’re waiting for is more likely to be on time. Check on progress regularly and make sure everything is running on schedule. That way, you can head off potential problems long before the deadline arrives.
Quick Tips for Never Having to Use Excuses
The best way to avoid these damaging excuses is to put yourself in a position where you won’t need them. Here's a quick guide to minimizing the risk of excuse hunting:
- By using and updating a project list, keep track of projects at every stage.
- Know your own responsibilities as well as those of everyone involved in the project.
- Encourage and facilitate communication by e-mailing and calling team members, even those not reporting to you.
- Pitch in if you can. Some guys don’t know how to juggle work. By helping them out — or simply asking them if they need help — you can avoid a slow-down.
- Plan or suggest project meetings in which coworkers with too much work can shift it to those who are less busy. Delegate more menial tasks to lower support staff when possible. Before you do, see Dealing with Support Staff.
- Stay organized. Keep updating your project list.
- Keep records of all communication. If someone messed up, keep a printout of the e-mail in your project file, transcribe a voice mail message, or take dated notes of communications. When a slow-up occurs, keep your boss informed by coming to him for "advice," which is different from "snitching."
- Lay down strict time guidelines for yourself and others. Don’t let a deadline go by without making an alternate plan.
- Finally, when you have messed up, learn to own up to fault, shoulder the responsibility and show what a leader you are by saying, "Look, I’m not going to blame it on any one member of the team, I’m on the team, so it’s just as much my responsibility as theirs. (Then make it positive:) But, I think this team has come a long way together and it’s a tighter outfit now, capable of more efficient work." You’ll find that "taking the hit" is actually not as hard as it sounds. In fact, chances are you’ll look like more of a leader in the eyes of your boss — and be on your way up.