Is your heart racing? Mine is definitely pounding! No, I’m not watching my favorite Formula 1 driver attempt a treacherous overtake, as I sometimes discuss in my blogs. I haven’t consumed a double espresso. Yet. And I definitely didn’t go for a six-mile run.
It’s a deadline which has my heartrate above normal today. Actually, I have three deadlines, or to be more accurate, I have three clients with cutoff points and no exceptions. Sometimes deadlines are self-imposed. Other times, a missed target means missed opportunity.
Missing a deadline can hurt you professionally. Integrity rests on the ability to complete a project, no matter what it might be, to honor your commitments. Consultants can’t simply “blame” people within an organization for not getting approvals, materials, contacts, or messages to them in a timely manner. It’s our job to help them along. That’s one of the main reasons outside consultants are sought out.
It is also damaging to provide poor quality in defense of meeting a deadline. A timely marketing or communications product or service means nothing if it is poorly executed. Planning is essential. And yes, you can’t always plan for a crisis. But as a professional communicator, you should expect the unexpected and be prepared.
Rather than thinking of your responsibilities as deadlines, see the completion of your work as crossing the finish line.
Categories: Consequence