I’ve talked before about how the SMART goal system (making sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) is great for leadership when assigning goals to others.
But it’s also fantastic when others are assigning goals to you, though you’re going to use it a little differently in that case.
Have you ever had a manager give you frustratingly abstract or unclear goals, only to discover later that their expectations were very different from what you understood? It happens all the time. Unless you can convince your manager to take a course in using SMART goals effectively (or start reading this blog), you may just have to “manage up” a little. Here’s how to do it.
Whenever you get a task tossed your way, send a response asking a series of clarifying questions. As a strategic consideration, you should do your best to always ask these questions in a consistent way; the same format, the same tone, even use the same questions as long as they’re applicable. This will help train your manager to expect these questions as standard procedure, not to interpret them as you being argumentative.
- Specific: Ask for any clarity about exactly what’s being asked. “Update the client on the project,” can mean a lot of things. Total project numbers or quarterly update? All relevant numbers or did they ask for particular ones? Is there a standard template used for these communications? On anything where there is no clarifying answer, make sure you ask if you have the autonomy to use your best judgement or if you should come back to them with decisions.
- Measurable: What are the metrics by which this assignment is done well or not? Promptness of updates? Responsiveness to questions?
- Achievable: If you’re worried that this task can’t be done, ask questions that help you figure that out. What tools are available to find information? What other resources can I access for help?
- Relevant: If you’re concerned that this task shouldn’t be done, ask about that as well. What larger strategic goals or initiatives does this support? What priority should this task be given compared to X, Y, and Z on my plate?
- Time-Bound: The classic, often the most important. When do you need this by, how often do you need updates along the way, etc.?
Let me give you an example of how this might look in practice:
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From: The Boss
To: Awesome Employee
I need to put you in charge of client updates for the project. Thanks.
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From: Awesome Employee
To: The Boss
Okay, let me check a few details with you and then I can see where this fits in with my current workload. Just a few questions for clarity, as usual:
- What are the specific project elements the client is most concerned about, and how often do they want the check-ins? Do we have a standard check-in template we’ve used with other clients?
- I assume the most important elements of this are accuracy and consistency, but is there anything else I should know about how to do a great job at this?
- Since I’m not a primary on the project itself, I’m concerned that tracking down the numbers for the updates will be difficult. Can you let me know where the most recent data is held and who to talk to (besides you, in case you’re busy) if I have any questions?
- Has the client made this request specifically (and if so, what other details did they provide), or is this something we’re doing proactively?
- When do you need the first client update to go out?
Thanks!
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From: The Boss
To: Awesome Employee
CC: Project Lead
The client has called me multiple times to ask about weekly spend and build progress versus the original timeline. They didn’t request regular updates specifically, but the calls aren’t painting the best picture and I think they’ll be more confident with weekly snapshots. Mary is the project lead, I cc’ed her so she can add you to the dashboard access; dashboard has all info. Use your best judgement on the rest, get the first update out ASAP.
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From: Awesome Employee
To: The Boss, Project Lead
BCC: Myself
Thanks for that info! Just to summarize everything: I’m going to create a weekly client update with a template similar to the dashboard (thanks for the access, Mary!) to summarize the weekly spend, progress percentage, and time to completion. I’ll briefly add supporting details, making sure to give them enough information that they don’t think they’re in the dark and feel the need to call in with too many questions. If they do, you’ll let me know what they asked so I can incorporate it into the deck, and I’ll add my own contact info so they can reach out to me directly and we can take that off your plate. We’ll call it a success if the client stops calling you for updates, and I’ll have the first one go out this Monday. I’ll bcc Mary so she can stay appraised of what data the client is seeing directly and offer any insights or adjustments to future updates.
Have a nice day!
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By asking those SMART questions, the employee turned “send the client updates” into an actual assignment with all the supporting details necessary to do a great job. Note that in the response from the boss, several of the SMART questions didn’t actually get answered fully, but rather than ask again, the employee filled in the missing details themselves. This is something I rarely see people do, but it’s important; if the manager didn’t answer a question, then they most likely don’t have a specific answer, and filling in the details yourself is the best way to go. They informed the boss of what their plan was with confidence, but still made sure to send that summary. Absent any objections or changes from the boss, that’s the assignment. Importantly, they defined success when the boss didn’t: As long as the client gets accurate information and stops bothering the boss for random updates, then the Awesome Employee is doing an awesome job. Even though this is a relatively simple assignment, it’s always important to have both a definition of what “good performance” looks like, and an objective way to show that you’re giving it.
Try this out the next time you get a nebulous task thrown your way, and watch yourself become the rock star on your team.
The Opportunity Machine 