Trust me, I know.
I used to be the one running around with his hair on fire (even after I lost my hair; not in a fire, BTW), urging people to pick up the pace in order to meet/beat deadlines, and generally making a damn spectacle of myself in the process.
Sometimes it actually worked. Spurred on by a combination of my mania, the dedication of team members, and a shared fear of failure, the work would get done. It wasn’t necessarily great work, mind you, and it wasn’t always successful. But we delivered — and that’s what matters, right?
If experience has taught me anything, it’s that the answer is, Wrong.
In fact, there’s so much wrong with that model — a model which, sadly, is still all-too common — it’s hard to know where to begin criticizing it.
People can be driven like chattel only so long before they begin to feel like, well, chattel. And while humans have a tremendous capacity to forgive and forget, moving on for the sake of the paycheck/career opportunities/free coffee, everyone has a breaking point. From what I’ve observed, that breaking point comes on a lot quicker at sweat shops.
Put enough madmen and women in the same company, all pushing to ‘get the most out of their teams’ by working them until they drop or leave, and it will quickly gain a reputation as the kind of place normal people don’t want to be. The result? A place that insecure psychopaths want to be, as they try prove something (anything!) to themselves and others. Such places, in my view, are doomed. Which is not to say they won’t hang around for a while by the tips of their cold, dead, fingers. (They will, and it’s not pretty to watch.)
So being part of a frenetic, harried organization is bad for business and bad for the people who work at those businesses.
Well, my friend, then you are a jerk, and you need to change, pronto. Here’s why…
While it may seem that you’re valued for never saying no, taking on seemingly insurmountable challenges, and whipping the team into shape, the reality is quite different. You’re perceived as a feckless Yes Man; someone who can’t or won’t speak truth to power; a person with such little empathy that you’re willing to sacrifice others for your own career advancement. You may ‘win’ a few battles, but you will eventually lose the war.
See the situation for what it is: Important, yes, but a qualified yes. Because going the extra mile will, ostensibly, benefit everyone in the company, it’s in everyone’s interest to go the extra mile. But don’t make a habit of asking people to do it. Explain the rationale in ways they can understand and relate to. Reward them as much as you can both during and afterwards, even if those rewards have to come out of your own pocket.
Above all, stay calm. Regardless what happens, the free world will remain free for one more day, with or without your project.