Life isn’t perfect all the time. There is so much going on, often all at once, that things outside our control happen.
Often there is no planning, or planning is done poorly.
‘If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.’ Benjamin Franklin
Planning and preparing takes time, and even if well done, Murphy’s Law states “if something can go wrong it probably will”.
It is bound to be the thing least expected to fail and hence had little or no contingency plan.
Unfortunately more often than not it is the human factor (people) that cause the plan to fail. Someone didn’t respect a deadline, didn’t read the contract or the specs fully, forgot to pass on clear information, etc..
Before confronting these people it is usually pertinent to reflect on the situation and consider the circumstances before saying or doing anything.
Did they know the deadline and the consequences of missing it?
Did they have sufficient time and training to read and understand the contract or specs, and if it was so important should someone else have reviewed it as well?
Have they enough experience to know what information is important and how to pass it on effectively?
It is personal in the sense that either they should have done better, or there is something not working from your side. But you should never make it personal to the extent that they feel it as a personal attack.
Feedback should focus on the poor outcomes or behaviours not on the people.
Every mistake is a learning opportunity and it is only when that learning does not happen that there should be consequences in order to ensure the goals are achieved.
We aren’t perfect and all make mistakes, it is how we resolve them that matters.
