Bad Planning on Your Part, Shouldn’t Be an Emergency on My Part

You are just getting to your work when your boss rushes in with a “last-minute emergency.”

He or she needs something right now.

But, the irony is when you look at the email they sent, the information in it is weeks old. The “emergency” is really just because they procrastinated.

Do others create emergencies for you, because of bad planning on their part?

Poor Planning Creates Urgencies, Not Emergencies

A manager was about to go on vacation. At the last-minute, this individual realized that he had several undone tasks.

His response? To call a 7PM meeting with his team.

You can guess the team was none too happy about having to jump (after hours nonetheless) because of the boss’s bad planning.

“Bad planning on your part, shouldn’t mean an emergency on my part.”

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If you have ever worked for a disorganized boss, then you have experienced “artificial emergencies” due to poor planning.

Meetings at odd hours. Last-minute tasks. Artificially short deadlines. Or interruptions that could have waited.

Here are a few tips to prevent other people’s urgencies from creating emergencies for you:

• Set Expectations – Set expectations regarding when you will be available. As well, it is important to set boundaries between work and your personal time. There are very few jobs that really need to be 24/7.
• React in Due Time – Just because someone rings your phone doesn’t mean they require an immediate response. Unless someone is hurt or injured, it probably isn’t an emergency.
• Provide Feedback – After a so-called “urgent emergency” occurs, make sure you tell the individual the impact they had on you or the team. You may feel that you cannot provide coaching to your boss, but if you don’t make he or she understand the impact they are having, then the behavior will simply continue.
• Say No When Appropriate – There will be cases when you cannot say no, but if it truly isn’t an emergency you should.  Sometimes the other person needs to learn a lesson about respecting your time and planning for themselves.

Preventable Urgent Emergencies

Whether you are on the creating or receiving end, poor planning shouldn’t be allowed to disrupt others.

You can’t control the “emergencies” that are thrown your way. But you can control how you react to them.

An urgency due to one person’s actions, doesn’t have to equal an emergency for someone else.

Question: How do you deal with preventable emergencies in your workplace? You can leave a comment by clicking here.