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Procrastination

I was going to write this blog post last week, but I got busy doing other stuff…or something like that. So many opportunities. So many distractions. So many forfeited advances.

From coulda to shoulda to woulda, procrastination keeps even the best intentions from becoming reality. As a consultant and coach who specializes in helping people close gaps, nothing inhibits progress like procrastination, and nothing stagnates sustainability like procrastination.

The five most common adverse impacts of procrastination among current and former clients:

1. Procrastination fuels fear. Fear of making a mistake, fear of missing a possible opportunity, fear of closing off options. I see clients who have good ideas, perhaps even great ideas. Just not perfect ideas. Rather than set a deadline for decision-making and implementation, some choose to continue to put it off. Procrastination, which is often a result of fear, fuels fear. As the decision slides into the horizon of missed opportunities, fear grows. Some become fearful they will repeat the process next time – and they often do.

2. Procrastination levels leaders. Decisions do not happen in a vacuum. When team members see leadership postponing, respect for leadership drops. Uncertainty seldom secures followers. Decisive action requires courage. Delayed action is frequently perceived as weakness. To be sure, there are exceptions when delay allows for increased information. Procrastination is not strategic delay.

3. Procrastination mutilates morale. Rarely do you see high employee morale and engagement when procrastination is present. People become too accustomed to the results of delayed decisions. Leaders, frustrated at themselves, enter the scene with a “drop what you’re doing” aura because an opportunity is now a crisis. Sustaining high morale requires high levels of consistency and continuity. Unfortunately, being consistently “last minute” taxes the bandwidth of employees.

4. Procrastination kills creativity. Creativity usually thrives best in proactive environments. Few teams report doing their best creative work when having to adjust to unnecessary delays. The most creative people and organizations I know have a knack for maintaining time margins. Assuredly we all face time crunches. That is not to excuse the “wait on me while I dilly-dally” leader.

5. Procrastination tramples others’ time. In our fast-paced, distraction-filled world, people list time as one of their most precious commodities. When a procrastinating leader forces employees to respond to his timeline, his leadership legacy is in jeopardy. Leadership is too costly to be forfeited.

Set deadlines. Gather information. Surround yourself with activators. Be courageous. Decide. Implement! You will feel better about yourself and your team will follow your lead.