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May 07, 2007
The double-edged sword of waiting for
I have found an interesting dynamic takes place on work teams with the Waiting For list. Just watch what happens, especially if you are a manager, once you really start tracking people on what they said they would do. I bet one of these two reactions will show up:
1. Motivation - I liked being tracked ! It means I can get acknowledged for what I am doing. Someone gets to see how much I'm actually getting done. I get a chance to get some recognition for completing what I said I would do. Bring it on!
2. Resistance - I don't like being tracked ! It means there is a greater chance that what falls through the cracks will be noticed. It also brings attention to things I've agreed to that I really have no intention of completing.
Managing agreements effectively, yours and other people's that affect you, can be one of the most powerful things to come out of implementing GTD. It may not be easy, and some of your teammates might kick and scream for what they perceive as micromanaging, but you owe it to yourself to track actions that discretely. You might just find that what people resist will motivate in the end.
Posted by Kelly at May 7, 2007 11:49 AM
Comments
I can definitely identify with this post. While assigned to manage an area in a different country (this was when I used to work for the corporate world), my new team really hated the fact that I was so focused on tracking agreements. Cultural differences and to some degree lack of integrity in their way of handling their commitments made if feel quite like heel for them.
Over time, they started appreciating and seeing the positive side, among them being rewarded and acknowledged for doing their work.
Thanks for the column! Martin.
Posted by: Martin Herrera at May 7, 2007 03:52 PM
Thanks for the post, Kelly.
Actually, I am experiencing a third reaction: forgetfulness (hope it is the right word) - "since he is tracking for this, I can forget it and he will ask me again when he absolutely needs this!".
Am I alone in experiencing this? Could there be anything wrong in my use of waiting for list?
Andrea (from Italy)
Posted by: Andrea Aresca at May 8, 2007 12:15 AM
I don't know if my people like being tracked or not, but they do know that I won't forget and move on. the net effect of that is that they tend to execute the tasks better because they know I will ask about it at some point in time.
I haven't experienced the 'forget about it because he is tracking it' portion.
The Waiting For category has been one of the best portions of GTD for me. Not only do I track stuff, but nothing falls through a crack.
Posted by: Scot Herrick at May 9, 2007 12:32 PM
Scott & Andrea--both great points of the effects of the Waiting For list. And that's the good or bad news, depending on where you sit (tracker or being tracked!)
Posted by: Kelly at May 11, 2007 10:45 AM
Andrea,
I had the same exact effect and it is partially because the people I was working with did not feel at risk of losing their jobs for such lack of commitment. I am trying to teach them the same method I use so they can experience the same satisfaction of tracking all tasks until they are done. I hope on the long run this would be a better solution than losing their jobs.
Ali
Posted by: Ali Issa at May 12, 2007 03:15 PM
Ali,
thanks for the post.
I'm experiencing the same.. and I'm trying to do the same!
At this time, there are two people with whom I spent some hours to share GTD methodology.
Best wishes,
Andrea
Posted by: Andrea Aresca at May 13, 2007 11:49 PM
