I am growing weary of a few trendy sayings in the business world—“interface” is one of them, but one of the others is she just has “too much on her plate.” To my way of thinking, is one thing to be busy, quite another to be someone who operates “in crisis.” Busy people can actually be quite delightful to work with as many of them are very organized and efficient. But there is a big difference between being busy and being someone who is flying out of control in crisis. So what can you do when you have to work with clients, colleagues and customers who seem to always be bouncing from one crisis to another?
Start by getting your armor up when you are dealing with crisis-oriented people. It can be so easy to get sucked into another person’s manic, crisis state. These people are quite good at making others think that they need extra help, accommodations, or extended deadlines. By making sure you’ve got your boundaries and armor in tact, you’ll be less likely to get sucked into the crisis scene. Secondly, try to remember that another person’s crisis or poor planning does not have to be your problem or your emergency. Sure, you want to be helpful and considerate, even compassionate if a customer or client is having a crisis, but it is not necessarily your job to solve it for them. Besides, solve one problem for a “crisis person” and another is bound to pop up right away.
It also helps to set very clear expectations. Make sure that your payment policies, deadlines, contract particulars, delivery and shipping information, etc. is very clearly outlined and written down. This can give you some stability when a crisis person asks for extensions. You might want to establish a “late fee” or a “special services fee” so that if you do end up making accommodations, you can charge accordingly.
You might not be able to choose whether you have a customer, client or colleague who is always operating in crisis mode, but you can choose to NOT get sucked into the drama.
Also: Relationships Are Important in Business–But Don’t Abuse Them
Sometimes They Just Need a Little Hand-Holding