I have seen managers make this mistake a lot, which is why I invite you to check if it applies to you too. If it does, there's no problem; it's probably the best time to focus on this aspect and make a change.
Imagine you assigned a task to someone in your team. You did everything by the book: you ensured they understood the expected outcome, agreed on the deadline, checked together that they had the necessary resources (and, of course, previously confirmed they had the required knowledge and skills because that's why you assigned the task to them). With confidence in their abilities, you let them proceed, expecting them to deliver the expected result on time.
As the deadline approaches, you inquire about the progress, and they assure you that everything is going well. However, when the due date arrives, the employee doesn't personally present the result. Instead, you have to ask them, and to your shock, they admit that they did not complete the task.
Because the task must be completed, and the deadline is already past, what do you do at that moment?
This is where the mistake I'm talking about comes into play. Due to the pressure of the deadline, the manager takes the task back. I should mention that if you reach the deadline with your employee, and you aren't aware that they haven't done their job correctly or at all by that time, it's your responsibility – not to mention your mistake. You should have had another level of control in place so that you could have realized in time that things weren't working as they should have and intervened. We are discussing this scenario to highlight the mistake.
At that moment, the manager, likely feeling desperate because the deadline has already passed or very close, often accepts the employee's excuses. They say they couldn't do it, they didn't have time, they lacked resources, someone from another department obstructed them, and so on. The manager starts getting anxious, makes phone calls, talks to everyone, and personally resolves the task on the spot.
This behaviour is equivalent to taking the task back. The impact of taking the task back appears to benefit the employee but is disastrous for the team and the company. The next time, the employee has already learned this behaviour and will repeat it. Once again, the managers will find themselves in a situation where they must put out a big fire.
That's why, in such a situation, which you surely remember because, like me, you've been there, I invite you not to take the task back under any circumstances. Even if the deadline is missed, even if the deadline is very close, manage your emotions and send the employee back to give their all, make all the necessary calls, and reach out to all the people they can contact to resolve the task.
Even if, in the background, without them knowing, you assist in some way with the process because, in the end, it's your responsibility and your reputation as their boss on the line, let them handle it to the end and see that the effort they must make now at the finish line is much greater than what they would have done if, along the way, they had presented a concrete progress report, been authentic, and asked for help or genuinely got involved as they should have from the beginning.
The impact this time will be extraordinary for you as a manager and for the company, even though it may seem disastrous for the employee in the short term. Disastrous at that moment because they will indeed sweat, and go through all sorts of difficulties, but they will have to resolve the task, or they will have to accept that they have no place in that role. For the next time, however, you can be sure that this employee will know they can't come back
to you with the task because, whether it's the last minute or the deadline has passed, you won't take the task from them.
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