Impeccable Coordination

How often have you been in this situation:

• you asked a colleague to do a task by a certain deadline, but he did not/did not half-do it as promised.
• you could not refuse your supervisor's request to take over a project so as not to hurt your career, and as a result, you worked on several projects in parallel without rest.
• you promised to do your best, even though you initially knew you would not, but did not want to refuse outright.

Sounds familiar? Situations like this happen regularly in the workplace. Empty promises and false expectations greatly impact people's effectiveness in the organization.

How can you fix the situation? An approach called Impeccable Coordination can help.

In the book Conscious Business, Fred Coffman describes "Impeccable Coordination" as a clear understanding of:

• that we ask others to commit;
• clear commitment on both sides;
• fair commitment only when we intend and can fulfill our commitment.

"Impeccable Coordination" includes three important elements:

1. Request
2. Commitment
3. Response

Let's look at each component separately.

To make an explicit request, you must say it in the first person, using direct language and addressing it to the person you are talking to.

The three critical elements of a clear commitment:

(1)To get W (desire or need),

(2) I would like to ask you to do X (a specific action) by Y (a specific time).

(3) Can you commit?"

Example:

I would like to visit your facility to meet the team working on our project. It would be essential for me to know them personally and explain to them the importance of the work they will be doing for us. Could you arrange a meeting with them next week on Tuesday?

Making a request is like sending the text of a contract to the other party: until the contract is signed, it does not exist. The question "can you promise to do that?" gives the request a completed form, sending the ball to the other party.

Before committing, think about the following questions:

1. Do I understand the request?
2. Do I have a solid plan?
3. Do I have the necessary skills and resources?
4. Do I have a way to monitor progress and adjust the plan as needed?
5. Do I have a way to contact the requestor if I need to revise the commitment?

If you cannot answer 'yes' to these questions, then you cannot fully execute the commitment (at a minimum, without additional clarification)

A well-worded request requires a clear answer. There are six ways to respond to an effective request:

1. Yes, I promise. You accept total responsibility for respecting the commitment.

2. No, I don't promise. You, as the recipient, can always refuse the request. That's the difference between a request and a compulsion. In this case, explaining why you declined would be helpful.

3. I need clarification. Ask additional questions.

4. I promise to give you an answer ... (clearly state the date). Use this answer if you need to clarify any questions before committing.

5. I agree but under several conditions. I can commit to doing what you are asking, provided...(further state a mutually acceptable condition). Would that suit you?"

6. Let me make a counteroffer. I can't do X by date Y, but I could do S by date T. Would that work for you?

Any organization works based on trust. Trust means that people can rely on commitments made by others. This leads to predictable and reliable actions. Commitment is the key to coordinating people's actions in an organization in an efficient, effective, and, therefore "seamless" way.

"Impeccable Coordination" can be used on a personal, team, or organizational level. The best option would be for all people in the organization to use it; it would tremendously affect the efficiency and effectiveness of teamwork.

You can, however, start with yourself, properly formulating requests for your colleagues, then ask additional questions to see if they can commit to it so that you can end with a response choice. The same is true for you in case requests come from others.

"Impeccable coordination" can also be a valuable tool in teamwork arrangements. This can be done by organizing a workshop where everyone can become familiar with it and agree on how to use it.

Impeccable can also be a useful tool as part of a teamwork agreement.