Deflect the Excuse, Defeat the Task

When asking your team questions, you may find yourself dealing more with the excuses than with the task. Listen very carefully to the answers that are given to you.

For instance, “Hey, did you get the Jones project finished?”

“No, not yet . . . I’ve gotten so many interruptions.”

“Really . . . like what? And who?”

Instead of deflecting the excuse in this situation, you have become another interruption keeping the task undone. A better answer would be, “Okay, so what is the next step on the Jones Project?”

The Difference  Between Context and Excuse

A team member may give you a context of what has been going on in his life to help you know how he has been making decisions. The difference between context and excuse is huge. An excuse many times includes superlatives like, “I can never get in touch with anybody,” or “Nothing is working right for me this past month.” Teach your team that is okay to share the context of life. A context should be concise and truthful.