When Will You Complete That By? Could You Do It Sooner?
Recently, a good friend of mine shared that one of the best professional mentors he ever had was a former boss who would ask him two questions during their weekly meetings about projects:
When will you complete that by?
Could you do it sooner?
My friend said that this process was an incredible driver of his growth and development. Setting his own deadline led him to carefully consider and understand how long jobs would take. Whenever he missed a deadline, his boss held a space for him to account for why the project was not completed on time. My friend incorporated the lessons he learned here and increased his efficiency.
The second question in the process ensured the bar was set high enough to be a challenge. A tight deadline required finding new and more effective solutions.
This week, I invite you to consider:
What projects am I currently working on? What’s my initial estimate of when I can complete them? Could I do them sooner? How might I grow and change if I consistently set a high bar with my own deadlines?
On a scale of 1-7 (1 being never, 7 being always), how often do I invite others to set deadlines when I make requests of them? On a scale of 1-7, how often do I lovingly challenge their initial estimates? How might others grow and change if I consistently held a space for them to set a high bar with the deadlines they set for themselves?
God bless,
Dan