Less is More and Faster

One time I arrived at summer pasture and not one single cow was on the correct side of the fence, and they were about two miles from where the should have been.  I was alone and had no horse, and getting one meant that I'd have to drive a hundred miles round trip.  What would you do?  With the typical herd, you'd turn around and go get a horse and some help.

I parked the pickup and walked toward the cow farthest from where she was supposed to be.  Four miles (as the crow flies), two hours, and two gates later I climbed back into the pickup.  All 150 cows, calves and bulls were back where they needed to be.  I'd had a nice, brisk walk on a wonderful summer day.  I was cooled off by a brief afternoon thunder shower.  There were no ruffled feathers among friends that I night have asked to help.  In less time with less fuel, and much lower stress for all involved, the unplanned event became an opportunity to work with the cows under different circumstances.

Because I had worked with the cattle from the ground, I knew that I could handle this without any other human help.  The conclusion, safer is more efficient.

Lets consider the typical engineering organization that has somehow gotten itself where it shouldn't be - behind schedule, over budget, unhappy customers, or some unplanned, safety significant event occurred.  In my experience, the boss reverts to a stressed response.  He or she becomes demanding, and may say something like, "Either you get this done or you'll be a foot and a half shorter and out of a job."  Maybe that was said because that is what was said to him.  No matter.

Now is not the time to abandon what works.  It will damage or destroy the trust you've built with the group. Piling on the pressure will not get the group back to where it belongs faster.  In fact, it will probably delay it.  Whether or not you're the new manager, you have an opportunity.  You have the opportunity to build a stronger team.  Together you can look forward to saying to yourselves that we were able to overcome adversity.

Gather the group, with the group decide what to do to get back, and work together to do it.  Maybe you need to assure yourself that the schedule does not represent the way the work needed to be done.  When its all done you will have a group of people that not only weathered the storm but excelled.  You will trust your people and they will trust you.

When you adopt the defensive approach of piling pressure on the organization, you will likely activate the self defense instincts of one or more individuals.  You lose the predictability of their behavior.  You won't know what to expect.  Some will come to a near stand still.  Some will find a better place to work.  The organizational productivity will decline.

Now take a few moments to consider what you would do when things aren't going quite right.  What can you do now that would prevent those things from happening or mitigate their impact?  If you're in the middle of a nasty situation, then sit back and imagine what you want your group to look like after you've waded through all the negative energy.  Will you all be proud of what you accomplished?