2. Develop a conflict resolution plan before you need it.
As you face conflicting demands, develop a system so you won’t have to play referee every day. You can insist on 24 hours notice, command extra charges for rush jobs, or adhere strictly to first come, first served rules.
Working for a company? Get everyone to agree on a rule for setting priorities. Match your communication style to your organization’s culture. If nobody wants to negotiate, or if you’re working late on everybody’s projects (while the folks who assigned those projects left hours ago), your challenge becomes, “how to deal with unreasonable bosses.”
3. Design your promises ahead of time.
When a client’s on the phone, it’s so tempting to say, “You only want to pay X dollars? No problem.” Or you invite everyone in a class to send questions, which you promise to answer within 24 hours.
Off the phone, you realize you’ve just committed to an hourly rate that’s a fraction of your normal fee. (We’ve all done this at least once.) Either you deliver a half-baked solution or you put in lots of unpaid overtime. And either way, you’ll find yourself resenting the client and wondering why you got into this business in the first place.
Lessons learned: Conflicting demands? You’re not facing a time management challenge. You’re looking for a new strategy — a way to mesh your preferred working style with the needs of your clients – and a set of policies to protect you from your own generosity.
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, who helps midlife professionals ceate their own mid-career makeovers. Your Next Move Ezine: Read one each week and watch your choices grow!
mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com
http://www.cathygoodwin.com
http://www.movinglady.com
Incoming time management related search terms:
- Time Management Tips
- completed by lunchtime
- IDEAS ON TIME MANAGEMENT
- Time management with problem customers
No related posts.
