Make it OK for your team to ask for a deadline extension
ible — and why.
[Management Tip of the Day]<https://t.a.email.hbr.org/r/?id=h98389727,121e95d9,121e95db&p1=?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod_actsubs&utm_content=signinnudge>
Today’s Tip
Make It OK for Your Team to Ask for a Deadline Extension
Unrealistic deadlines don’t help anyone — and yet more often than not, employees avoid asking for extensions even when they know more time would help them do a better job. It’s understandable. They likely don’t want to be seen as incompetent, and research has shown that we often falsely assume that the timeliness of a deliverable is more important than its quality. Given these factors, it's important to explicitly and proactively communicate with your team whether certain deadlines can be adjusted. Instead of expecting your team to guess whether it’s OK to ask for more time, clarify when employees will be judged on the speed of their work, and when the quality is more important. This will help your employees worry less about how they’ll be perceived if they request a deadline extension, in turn reducing their stress and boosting the quality of their work. And when timeliness is the priority, make that clear ahead of time so your team knows the deadline isn’t flexible — and why.
This tip is adapted from “Go Ahead and Ask for More Time on That Deadline<https://hbr.org/2021/12/go-ahead-and-ask-for-more-time-on-that-deadline?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod_actsubs&utm_content=signinnudge,”> by Ashley Whillans
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Today’s Tip
Make It OK for Your Team to Ask for a Deadline Extension
Unrealistic deadlines don’t help anyone — and yet more often than not, employees avoid asking for extensions even when they know more time would help them do a better job. It’s understandable. They likely don’t want to be seen as incompetent, and research has shown that we often falsely assume that the timeliness of a deliverable is more important than its quality. Given these factors, it's important to explicitly and proactively communicate with your team whether certain deadlines can be adjusted. Instead of expecting your team to guess whether it’s OK to ask for more time, clarify when employees will be judged on the speed of their work, and when the quality is more important. This will help your employees worry less about how they’ll be perceived if they request a deadline extension, in turn reducing their stress and boosting the quality of their work. And when timeliness is the priority, make that clear ahead of time so your team knows the deadline isn’t flexible — and why.
This tip is adapted from “Go Ahead and Ask for More Time on That Deadline<https://hbr.org/2021/12/go-ahead-and-ask-for-more-time-on-that-deadline?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod_actsubs&utm_content=signinnudge,”> by Ashley Whillans
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