The Art of Good Timing

I was once asked would you rather be really good or really lucky??Hmmm…had to think about that.?I really wanted to be really lucky, but a big part of me couldn’t help but lean to being really good.?Why? Because luck can run out, but being consistently really good was a better bet (for me at least.)?I recall a bit of a debate with colleagues on this, and then I heard someone say this, “If you’re really good, you tend to get lucky.” True.?And I may add, it’s also about being good with Timing.?Timing, as they say, is everyting!

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Timing to learn people.

Smart people, especially emotionally intelligent people, have especially good timing.?They spend more of their time reading people, reading the room, and even themselves.?They know when to hold them and when to fold them.?When to hold their tongue, and when to release it.?Conversely, some very intelligent people fail to get lucky because they have terrible timing.?They may not be good at reading the room or reading people, so they say and do some basic and honest things, but at the worst times.?I remember a manager who wanted to give a subordinate some really good news about a stretch assignment the person was looking for but he chose to do it as the person was getting news of the death of a grandmother.?While the person was in the office, and wasn’t taking a week off to grieve, he was down and not in the best place to be cheered up with a work assignment.?What was a good thing turned into a not so great thing because the manager came off as insensitive and callous to the person’s situation.

Timing on recognition.

Quickly is the right time to recognize people’s contributions and make sure they reap the fruits of that recognition.?Dale Carnegie urged, “be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.”?Finding the 5 minutes to call a staff member, colleague or even a boss to genuinely compliment their work effort is so import.?Additionally, it signifies respect, caring and actually seeing the person.?It’s not always the big dollars and material things matter, more often than not it’s the small gestures they remember most.?On the other hand, waiting for the right timing to sponsor someone or to ask for a promotion for an individual is also key.?Doing it too early or when there isn’t sufficient material to substantiate the request can do more harm than good.?Too soon is sometimes as harmful as too late.

Timing on performance feedback.

Timing is especially important around delivering feedback inappropriate behavior or poor performance.?In this case, withholding feedback or waiting for perfect timing is not a good idea.?It’s best to find the time sooner rather than later, in the right place, to have an honest and constructive talk with the person.?Queuing it up with other instances or waiting for the annual performance review is bad timing to do this and will bring out defensiveness in them.?

Timing to deliver bad news.

Bad news does not get better with time, says Mark Villareal.?The more you hold onto it, the heavier it gets, and the worse it feels when you share it.?It also erodes trust.?If your boss finds out about a negative situation you were withholding info about, it could negatively impact the operation as well as diminish your credibility.?No one wants to be the messenger for bad news, but for this, there’s no better way than to urgently (and delicately) share the news.

Timing for building trust.

Trust is the foundation for all positive relationships.?Taking the time to get to know people, to share of yourself (your background and who you are) not just of your time, is so pivotal.?In a recent course I took about Executive Presence, I was pleased to learn that at the root of credibility is getting people to know who you are, to let them in.?That doesn’t mean divulging sensitive information, but it means sharing enough about what you do and what you like.?People seeing who you really are is what allows people to see your authenticity.?Authenticity is foundational to trust.?Finding time to check in with colleagues, to email someone who lost a loved one with condolences and making it a priority to go out for a cup of coffee or lunch- all these things add up to so much more.?They are building blocks to building relationships, and relationships are what matter in all business and personal transactions.

Timing is everything.?Make the time.?It’s an art form.?