3 excuses for doing nothing
August 5, 2005
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In a high-tech career, there are often many reasons why
work doesn’t get done -- money, politics, understaffing, ignorance
and more. The more shocking reality, though, is the myriad of excuses
we give ourselves for our lack of productivity. When morale is low, mergers
are in the air or you are going through your fifth manager in as many
months, you might find yourself justifying your lack of energy in many
ways. Your company isn’t the only one suffering, though. Your excuses
will come back to haunt you when the time comes for the ax to fall. The
following 3 excuses are recited again and again at most companies and
they result in much more lost productivity than any of the other issues
combined.
It’s not my job
This is, by far, the most insidious excuse in your career.
It is easy to invoke this excuse yet very difficult to refute it. We can
all fall back on a strict definition of our job description when it serves
our purposes, but it hurts us more than it helps. Following only the letter
of your job description, but not the spirit, clearly defines your reputation
among your managers and your co-workers. You are not a team player. You
won’t help out in an pinch and you will very likely be the first
one at the unemployment office when the layoffs come.
While you certainly don’t want to get subsumed doing
work outside your usual area, neither do you want to avoid helping out
when necessary. It is good to stretch yourself and explore new areas.
You never know when an outside project will open up an entirely new avenue
for your career. You might find that you enjoy this new work more than
your current job or that you have an undiscovered aptitude in this new
area. So, “making it your job” can be the best way to expand
your career.
It’s Not My Fault
Regardless of how you are treated by anyone, whether a vendor,
manager or another entire department, blaming your troubles on someone
else is a road to nowhere. I can tell you from experience that no one
cares who is to blame when something goes wrong. The only thing your customer
or your manager wants to know is, “what are you going to do about
it?” Even more, “what are you going to do about....NOW!”
We have all been placed in bad positions by those around us, but it is
more important for you to present solutions at a time like this, not blame.
If the vendor is late delivering their product, what other products can
you use? If the other department is slow delivering the numbers you need
for a report, where else can you find them or who else can you get involved
at a higher level? If your manager is standing in the way of your productivity
or advancement, how can you go over, under or around them? Solutions are
always better received than passing the blame.
There’s no money in the budget
In today’s world of open source software, there are
few reasons to invoke this excuse. If you can’t afford a piece of
software, maybe you can find a free or inexpensive replacement. You might
even be able to build it yourself, if necessary. Getting around budgetary
problems is a great way of improving your high-tech career. If you consistently
get work done, even when others are complaining about the lack of budget,
your career position is sure to improve.
Just like with the other excuses, challenges such as this
can lead you to new, innovative solutions and experiences. As workers,
we discover the most when we are trying to circumvent a particular problem.
It forces us to search out new products, new methods and new concepts.
It only makes sense to look beyond the concepts that have failed us in
the past.
There are many more excuses in the business world, but I find these 3
to be the most pernicious. Many companies and their departments have been
brought to an utter standstill by their invocation. If you want to keep
both your company and career moving forward, you would do well to avoid
them all costs.
