How to influence people to follow deadlines

Ahhh, deadlines. Just like fries are inseparable from ketchup, folks in the corporate world don’t have any choice but to deal with deadlines on a daily basis.

We learn the value of deadlines the moment we start school. Every art project, book report or science experiment has a deadline. This is how our universe works.

You may notice that this is not how it works in the corporate world.

Work deadlines, in general, are much more moveable and oftentimes frustrating when you’re the one who sets it and no one bothers to follow. When it is everyone’s first time to do a project, determining the right deadline can be a nightmare as no one really knows when it can be finished.

Setting the deadline too early is risky when you realize the project needs more time, and setting it too late breeds slackers and wastes time.

Have you ever noticed that deadlines are the last thing people usually talk about in meetings? Meeting a deadline can be easy, but setting deadlines and making people follow is hard. In "The Apprentice Asia," being a project manager requires you to set realistic deadlines to your team members with great time acumen and social skills.

Here are some bullets to bite on how to effectively set deadlines for your team:

1. Assign deadlines with a positive approach

Unless you are tasked to prepare for the company’s Christmas party beginning July, remember that deadlines are never pleasant to anyone's ears. No one likes the idea of time pressure. Or any pressure.

Announcing it coldly like, “Everyone is required to submit their reports by July 1” or “Failure to submit the report by will be tantamount to….” will only be taken as a life threat (social life threat, mostly).

Try a different approach like, “We will appreciate it if everyone took their time to send their reports promptly by July 1” or “Please start blocking your calendars, and kindly target to submit the report by July 1.” I promise that you will see more people wearing smiles.

2. Don't just impose the deadline. Ask if it's doable.

Be consultative and say, "Please target to accomplish by July 1. Should this timeline be challenging, please let me know how I can help. I’m also open to another realistic timeline if someone suggests otherwise."

Show that you recognize that, apart from this task, they also need to finish the other gazillion things you have asked them to do. Small things like these matter to them. More importantly, it allows people to check your assumptions as regards the deadline and suggest other dates when you’ve estimated a wrong one.

Imagine how you would feel if your manager is realistic about deadlines and says something like this: “It take four days, not two, to deliver the supplies to this city. I think we should move the project deadline to this date.”

3. Explain why the deadline has to be set at that time and date. Make them appreciate the urgency.

Sympathy is always your ally. When you’re asking for something at the last minute, make your team understand why you asked for it at the last minute in the first place (“I know you guys have other important things to do, but this emergency concern came up just this morning and we have to send this press release to media tonight”).

You may also explain the implications of meeting the deadline to rouse support for your cause (“I know we’re all pressed for time, but ensuring that we release the TV advertisement this Saturday instead of Monday will mean more potential sales for us as most people watch TV on a weekend…”).

4. Remind people about their deadlines, and remind them a lot

There are two main reasons why someone fails to meet a deadline: they either forgot it or they just don’t give a damn about your project.

The first one is easy to manage: remind them, and remind them many times. Studies have proven that multi-channel communication is an effective way to engage a team for deadlines.

A tip: I always use three channels to remind people about their deadlines — e-mail, Whatsapp and myself (I literally ambush them in their cubicles or during lunch time in a friendly, casual way at the cafeteria). It has been empirically proven in many studies that multi-channel communication is more effective than using a single one (ex. purely e-mail).

In today’s world of cluttered attention, repetition is not too much. It’s necessary so don't feel sorry.

5. Use the good apples to influence the rotten ones

This best practice never fails me: I "motivate" people who habitually miss their deadlines by making them competitive with people who consistently meet or follow the deadline.

For instance, in cases of report submissions, I usually thank the person who submitted on time by copying everyone in that same email ("Many thanks to Luisa for submitting her inputs on time today. Gentle reminder for those who haven't submitted yet, you have until end of day.").

This way, it demonstrates to people that the deadline was doable. If I’d be evil about this, I see it as a subtle message to say, “She’s done with her report, where’s yours?”

Got more tips on how to set and manage deadlines? What are your typical frustrations? Care to share your company’s best practices? Let’s hear them out! Post your comments below.

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JONATHAN YABUT is the winner of the hit Asian reality TV show, The Apprentice Asia, and directly reported to Tony Fernandes as Chief of Staff of AirAsia.

He is based today in Kuala Lumpur as the Managing Director of his management consultancy firm, The JY Consultancy & Ventures, which offers digital marketing and talent optimization services to Asia's startups and corporations. Jonathan is Asia’s leading motivational speaker on topics involving leadership, talent development of Gen Y workers, and career management for Fortune 500 companies. In 2015, he debuted his best-selling motivational book in Asia, "From Grit to Great", and recently launched his second book, "Fast Forward", which is available in all bookstores in Asia. For speakership and media inquiries, contact [email protected] or visit his website www.jonathanyabut.com.