OK, I confess. This was not advice I received in a professional setting. I, of course, got it (among other gems1) from Star Wars.
To put it in context: we’ve all played the “we have to get together soon” game. The strategic tool that makes us sound “friendly” but commits us to nothing concrete. Sometimes, these sorts of fleeting connections continue in this perpetual “we have to get together” cycle until that is the only actual evidence that the relationship even exists.
When someone asks you to do something, or assigns a new project to you, “I’ll try” is often a guarantee that the task will not get the attention it deserves, will never be a priority, and will likely not be done well or at all.
“I’ll try” is basically the “let’s get together soon” of the work world, sabotaging our relationships, credibility, effectiveness and reputation along the way.
Accountability for yourself is critical to delivery
Without a specific goal, deliverable, and date to work toward, we are all susceptible to other responsibilities and opportunities getting in the way. How often have you told yourself “I need to INSERT RANDOM GOAL,” only to still be at the “going to get to it” stage weeks later.
We live in an attention economy, and while the term is often used to talk about the intrusive design and constant invasion of technology into our lives, we work in an attention economy as well. This is evidenced by the projects that get funding, the assignments we receive, and even the consistent elevation of toxic people in the workplace based on their ability to be memorable, charismatic and to message contrary more flattering narratives with ease.
Understanding that your attention will waiver, it is imperative to create accountability for yourself in everything that you do.
The easiest way to do this is to be specific, realistic, and committed to the result you promise.
For example:
The next time your boss asks, “can you prepare a presentation about urgent idea C?” Instead of saying “I’ll try,” or “Sure” without any specific expectation, reply with “Yes, how about if I provide a draft by Monday at 5 p.m. to make sure I am headed in the right direction? Then, if you can give me feedback by Tuesday at 12, I can wrap up a final by Thursday at 5pm. Would that work for you?”
Notice, not only am I creating specific goals that I am accountable for, but I am also ensuring that my boss is also accountable for their role in the success of the project.
One of the critical prerequisites for this is having a good understanding of your other commitments so that you can set reasonable expectations (I tend to map my critical priorities a month at a time). Otherwise, it is difficult to be specific and accountable on the fly (which is usually where it adds the most value).
Finally, the death of accountability is lack of specificity, because once there is no specific goal defined, there is nothing holding you responsible for any action or result. Days will become weeks, weeks will become months, and you will feel like you are standing still while everyone around you is progressing.
Setting expectations helps the team grow
Many talented professionals are challenged by managing unclear expectations. Maybe it’s the challenges of asynchronous handoffs or having multiple “bosses” in a matrix organization, but sorting and prioritizing the “tasks” is often daunting for the most organized and accountable among us. Taking it a step further, leading a team of people when your own understanding of the way forward is hazy can dramatically impact the team dynamic and ultimate success.
By spending time regularly to map out the key expectations, communicating the results expected and significant dates to the team (including how and when interim progress should be provided and what feedback can be expected - much like the example above), and focusing on the ultimate date of delivery, you can help everyone stay focused on the work at hand. Even better, with consistent expectations of the flow of work, the result expected, and the team members accountable throughout the process you will help everyone see their own contribution to the larger goal (a “line of sight”).
As an added benefit, the introduction of clear expectations actually reduces stress for everyone. The same applies to your own work. Rather than make a vague commitment that allows tasks to mount up until they become overwhelming, remember that the key to stress management is momentum, and moving forward one step at a time, and one chunk at a time.
Building trust one “met commitment” at a time
Just like we saw in PrepOver Coffee last year, “there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.”2
The same could be said for building trust, which is the most critical piece of a professional relationship. From the time you are a new hire until you reach the CEOs chair, your goal is to ensure that people can trust you to do what you say you will do. By setting clear, committed expectations with those around you, and then consistently delivering the results as communicated, you will build a large reserve of goodwill that will then serve you well in everything you try to accomplish. This wall of trust is built brick by brick, with each commitment met. No one will realize that commitment if it’s veiled in vague language like “I’ll try.”
Be bold by being willing to take the risk of making a firm and specific commitment that you then have to meet.
Execution is the key to business success
Do you think the founders of Google said, “let’s TRY to make a search engine and help people find stuff?” No. They identified a need, solved it with intent, and never stopped making improvements or empowering the creative ideas with effective execution. They met their mission “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” and grew from their $100,000 seed capital in 1998 to the $1.7 trillion company they are today (notwithstanding the new antitrust lawsuit that looks and feels a lot like the Microsoft suit that paved the way for them in the first place).
I work with a lot of entrepreneurs. Often, their focus is almost exclusively on how good they believe their idea is, what pitching they need to do, and how to attract investments.
But a good idea and some early funding are not predictors of long-term business success. Remember Blackberries? BetaMax?
While funding is important, what makes a successful company is how they enable the idea through a series of operational efforts.
As a former project manager, I’ve always been fascinated with how work gets done. The manner by which a company takes ideas and turns them into operational strategies that take the organization from nothing to something. The steps in the process go from “check out this great idea” to where a customer is using that great idea as a regular part of their day, and it’s working for them. They are telling their friends and family how your product changed their lives.
That is execution.
There is no TRY in execution, you either execute your strategy or you don’t. That execution capability is the ultimate differentiator between the companies that blow the doors off their competition and the ones that end up with an interesting but sad documentary.
Did you miss Part I of the Best Advice I Ever Received? Check out “You can’t care more than….”
“Fear is the path to the dark side.”
“Your focus determines your reality.”
Han shot first. OH WAIT! That’s just a fact, not advice.
Thanks George Lucas for making us all wiser with your films!
And Desmond Tutu.