Deadlines can be a real point of concern and even distress for a lot of people and yet others find them a challenge to be met. Deadlines are time based. Be there by 4pm, have that to me by COB Friday the 10th.
Let’s hope we’re not all like Douglas Adams. He loved deadlines. That was, he loved the whooshing sound they made as they flew by. I am a deadline addict. I love them, I work to them and I even enforce them on myself. (Yes, I’m also one of those people who add things to their To Do list so I get a sense of achievement ….but best save that for another post!)
Maybe then, if we miss a deadline, does it have something to do with the way we think about time?
There is considerable research around identifying how people process time. The NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) theory divides people into two categories - “through time” or “in-time”. If you meet deadlines easily and aren’t stressed by encroaching time frames, then you might be a “through-time” person. If you have trouble sticking to a deadline, it may be that you are an “in- time” person. The following excerpt explains the theory:
Through-time people often divide up their past and present quite clearly. Visually, the past may be behind them and the future out front. Seldom does this time-line (the line between past and future) cross. They are very clear about what is in the future and what has past. They may have a difficult time recalling things from their childhood and even short term memory could be limited. They are able to articulate clearly what they see as their future and could struggle recalling events in their past unless significant. Through-time people are able to be more objective about time, they are able to detach, and see themselves outside of the events they’re involved in and understand what implications (if any) those events have on others. They rarely run late, and seem to be naturally punctual. They are frustrated when deadlines are not met and when people run late.
An In-time person is great at being in the moment and can be envied for their ability to be “present”. However, they could struggle to predict how long a task will take. Their ability to mentally detach and forward plan a task for completion on time is minimal. As a result, they are often late for deadlines or meetings. If you asked them to think of a past event it would be thought of as being behind them. Their language is around ‘looking back in time’. When thinking of a future occasion, that would be thought of as in front of them. Sometimes it is all around them or their future is right there - in front of them – they could almost touch it. If they were to draw a time-line it almost always passes through both past and present – hence the term ‘in-time’. Past and future are less clear. They can be the type of people who could tell you it happened the other day, when it was in fact 3 months ago.
I’ve found this to be a really helpful framework when working with people on deadlines. The amount of time we spend following up people on deadlines could well be used more effectively. It is possible to change the way we think of time and respond accordingly. If you are a through-time person in a team of in-time people, you will no doubt be desperately frustrated. If you identify the different styles, it may be that the through-time person is the one who drives the project. My own experience has seen me draw time-lines for people, working backwards from the deadline to create a time frame around when the project or action should be started, based on when it needs to be completed. Stephen Covey’s “begin with the end in mind” is a great reminder of how to think of actions and deadlines.
Everyone has a deadline that needs to be met some time or another. I have always told my team that I don’t really mind if a deadline passes (if it is set by me), as long as I know in advance. If the deadline has been imposed on me and I have one to pass on, they are usually not negotiable – so working with in-time people on these tasks is stressful for everyone involved. Interestingly, people can be both styles. They could be in-time at home and through-time at work (endlessly frustrating for the partner of one of these as the work stuff always gets done and the home stuff suffers!)
Remember - A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine. To avoid emergencies of time, we can always work within these confines to learn what our style is and, as humans…. we can even adapt!
Has this inspired you to discuss HR? Leave your comment here telling us about your deadlines!
*****
Discuss HR is that HR blog brought to you by the people of Human Resources UK, the HR LinkedIn group with 11,000+ members dedicated to the world of HR.
*****
We welcome guest writers to Discuss HR. To learn how to contribute click here
Any source
No comments:
Post a Comment