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RESPONSIVENESS

Discussion:

           Responsiveness is the ability to really react to directives, suggestions, questions, or situations occurring within the scope of a job or task. From your supervisor’s point of view, there are few things more pleasing than high responsiveness on an employee’s part. At the same time, there are few things more annoying than low responsiveness on an employee’s part.

           Responsiveness involves a sense of urgency. Some people don’t have a strong sense of urgency, and so need their urgencies provided to them. This appears to the supervisor as unresponsiveness. Many supervisors interpret unresponsiveness as a lack of caring and/or commitment. It may be so, or it may not be. In any case, to be rated as unresponsive is a meaningful criticism in today’s fast-paced world of business. From a coworker’s point of view, an unresponsive worker often is seen as being a poor team-player. This perception can generate very strong negative feelings amongst teammates. Feelings that won’t make life more pleasant for you.

           Customers are increasingly insistent on responsiveness from those they choose to do business with. Companies are in a race with each other to increase their responsiveness to customers in order to keep them.

           Being responsive doesn’t mean aborting your own priorities, but it may mean adjusting your priorities to reflect what your superiors and/or customers require. You can negotiate with them to arrive at a mutually acceptable priority structure. However, not to be responsive to the requirements and priorities of your superiors guarantees you will be frustrated in your desire to advance.

           Perhaps an analogy will serve to clarify the point. If you were in a high-stakes race, would you rather be driving a slow, lumbering bus or a fast, quick-handling sports car? The lumbering bus might be ideal for a leisurely group outing. But chances are your superiors don’t see your business that way. They feel they’re in a NASCAR race. No room for poor-handling equipment in this race. What is your perception of the kind of track you’re on? Are you on a back road? Or are you on a fast-track? Your answer will predict your future.

Prescriptions:

           1.        Analyze what are your natural inhibitors to responsiveness. Examples: Fear of failure; unsure of what “best” to do; desire for perfection but not enough time exists to do it to your standard of excellence; true disagreement with your superior’s or customers sense of urgency.

           2.        Address the reason for your lack of urgency. Talk it over with an appropriate individual—a mentor, superior, trainer, etc. for ideas.

           3.        Set very short term, precise objectives that can be completed on a daily basis.

           4.        Keep track of your success rate—or your “batting average.” Check and see if one issue seems to be dragged from day to day. Again go back to step one and ascertain why you are dragging this issue. Repeat the process till responsiveness is achieved.