There’s a Storm Coming

09 Mar There’s a Storm Coming

There is an ill wind blowing out there.

A tornado warning was just sounded.

Here it comes now.

Their name is Pat.

A living, breathing Human Tornado.

I’ve worked with a few “Pats” over the course of my time in industry.  And I still have a tough time identifying them early on.

They seem so …. normal. They often are disguised as regular human beings.

Until the work starts – and you begin to see the first feint hints – feel the wind beginning to whip up – and then, invariably…. the funnel cloud.

You know a Pat or two – we all know a Pat or two.

• The person that can take a 30-minute meeting and somehow expand it into a 2-hour marathon because…well, because they can.

• Or turn a simple 3-day project into a month long tangled web of back-and-forth.

• Or never follow up on even the most basic of requests because they “have so much going on right now.”

• Or forward along the email string because – after all – it’s important that everyone know every little bit of information that has ever been shared since the dawn of humankind.

• Or hit “Reply All” to an email that went to a hundred people.

• Or grab you with the “have you got a minute?” hook – and then take you hostage.

• Or show up late for a meeting that has been planned for a month – and then unprepared – while asking questions that have already been answered in the meeting pre-work.

I came up with a Tornado Defense Plan a few years ago. It seems to work pretty well – though it is not guaranteed to completely nullify the people that compromise workforce effectiveness.

Its premise is simple – the guidelines equally so:

• Attend no meetings without a clear Purpose – a clear Objective – and a clear Agenda.
• Double down on the clarity of my communication – clear expectations/clear follow up
• Limit my volume of emails – and limit the content in those emails
• Shorten my meetings – significantly
• Tap legitimate producers for important projects or assignments
• Avoid Pat

Hey, it’s not foolproof – but it sure makes my life easier.

I have to drop off now – I have a long group text coming in.

I won’t tell you the author.