Effective leaders understand their ability to handle deadline distractions will define their long term success. It’s how you react in the moment when something unexpected messes up your plans.
As a TV News Reporter, I’d encounter this situation on a daily basis. It often came when I was racing to finish a story that would need to air in a matter of minutes.
I’d return, from the field, to the station to start writing the story. The clock is counting down to the newscast and the reporter has to review interviews and footage, write the story, and then either edit it or get it to an editor.
As soon as you walk into the newsroom, every second counts. A couple of extra minutes could make an average story become better and a good story become great.
There was a major distraction reporters would have to deal with: the promotions person. This position was responsible for putting together the teases and promotions for the newscast. In order to do his or her job, the promotions person would need to borrow your video.
This is happening at the time when your most need the video, either for writing or editing. It was a frustration situation. Sometimes, it would be made worse when the promotions person would disappear with the footage or you’d find the person, only to realize your tape has been sitting, unused, on a desk for 20 minutes.
Despite the deadline pressure, the promotions person had every right to do the job, no matter how frustration it was for me. Those teases and promos could build a viewing audience, helping the station and my career.
A shift in my mindset was necessary to change how I reacted to these deadline distractions. Maybe you’re not in a newsroom but can your career be helped by how you handle pressure packed situations? I’ve found these tips can help:
Prepare for the Deadline Distractions
As a reporter, I knew the promotions person would likely need my footage. So why get upset about this predictable and recurring request?
Instead, I could anticipate the request and make the tape available the moment I walked back into the station, when I could be without it for a few minutes.
It’s like bringing an umbrella with you on a rainy day. You can’t stop the rain but you can prepare for it.
Prepare for recurring requests in your world. Waiting until the last minute, for something you know will happen, leads to a lot of stress.
Make It Easy
It’s understandable that someone who knows little about my news story might spend a lot of time reviewing my footage and interviews. Why not make it easy for the promotions person?
After all, I know the story, the soundbites, and the footage. I could think about what could be good for a promo, while I was still in the field. As soon as I walked back into the station, I could say, “The best video is at start of the tape and the second question produced really good soundbite.”
By doing this, I’m making the promotions person’s job easier. It helps me because I’ll get the footage back sooner.
In your world, are you making it easy for people to get information from you? Are reports easily accessible or do they have to go through a maze to find them?
Consider how you can make your colleague’s life easier. Often it also helps you too.
Are the Deadline Distractions About You or Them?
I worked with many promotions people and all of them frustrated me at some point. It’s like being interrupted just when you get to the good part of a movie.
But I realized they weren’t trying to make my day more stressful. They were just doing their jobs. That made me consider whether I was the real source of the frustration.
By being a little more organized and using my time better, there could be plenty to time for the promotions person to do his or her work and allow me to produce a good story.
Also, while it’s good to strive for perfection, the chase for it will usually come up short. But pretty good is not a bad substitute for perfection when you’re working under a deadline.
Are you letting distractions frustrate you because you’re too focused on perfection? Maybe a shift to pursuing improvement can reduce that stress.
Your deadline distractions will always appear. How you react to them can change.
Does your next meeting need something special?
