Every time you approach a new project, task, or responsibility, you need to ask: Do we have the resources we need to do the work? Make resource planning a regular part of your regular one-on-one dialogue with every direct report.
Teach everybody to do a regular resource-needs inventory:
-Workspace
-Supplies
-Materials
-Equipment
-Transportation
-Information
-Operation
-Maintenance
-People
-Talent
-Training
-Communication
-Cooperation
Some resources are a whole lot easier to come by than others. Once you and your employee have determined what resources you will need, you need to figure out whether the resources are available, and if they are, from what source, at what cost, and with what process. If possible, have the employee do some research himself. Then talk through every aspect of the “supply chain” issues:
What sources should he check to find out whether the resource is available?
What process should he follow to get the resource?
What turnaround time should he expect?
What should he do in the event he runs into roadblocks?
If there are resources that need to be purchased, this should be discussed in advance. If there is a budget and a purchase process, and your direct report needs to make purchases as part of their job, then you need to teach him how to work that process.
Teach your direct reports how to get resources in your organization. If there is a system internally, teach them how to work it. If there are key people they need to work with, make the introductions. The best thing you can do for your direct reports in a resource-constrained environment is to get them in the habit of making all their requests in the form of a simple proposal, which includes:
What I propose.
The benefits, to whom, when, and by what measure
The costs, to whom, when, and by what measure
The schedule: Deadline and milestones along the way, plus how much of whose time and when that time would be required.
The plan: The steps along the way to each milestone, with key measures and time budgets
When managers teach their team members how to put their resource needs in the form of a simple proposal, employees tend to make many fewer requests and more reasonable requests in a much more thorough, persuasive, and professional manner. No matter how simple the process is, the very act of stopping to put their requests into a proposal format causes most employees to consider those requests more carefully. You are also teaching your direct reports to stop and think before they ask for anything.
If you succeed in teaching people to use proposals to get the resources they need, your team will be ahead of others when it comes to resources. When managers use this technique, their employees almost always get more resources for their own work or the work of their team; greater financial rewards for themselves or their subordinates; greater access to perks; credit for results achieved; new tasks, responsibilities, or projects; special assignments; training opportunities; and exposure to decision-makers. One reason is that being forced to make a proposal leads employees to think through their needs more thoroughly, with more excellent advance time, and to choose their battles more selectively. The second reason is that being forced to make a proposal leads employees to make their case much more persuasively.
What if the resources are just not there? In a pinch, without the necessary resources to do the job, your team may be forced to come up with a workaround of some sort or another. Without your guidance and direction, the workaround might be tantamount to beating their heads against the wall trying to do something essentially impossible, like digging a ditch with a salad fork. Without your supervision and support, they might go off wildly in another direction, causing unintended consequences. You don’t want your direct reports winging it when they need to figure out a resource workaround. You want to help talk them through the process: Whenever possible, it makes sense to talk about potential workarounds well in advance, in the earliest stages of resource planning, and then continue the conversation every step of the way. As you help your direct reports anticipate necessary resources, discussing what sources to try and how they can go about getting the resources they need, you should also consider and talk through what to do if, despite best efforts, they are still not able to get the resources they need.
Talking Through the Four Steps of a Workaround
Step one. Pursue an alternative source or supplier for your resource.
Step two. Brainstorm possible substitutes that could double instead of the resource you are having a hard time obtaining.
Step three. Come up with an innovation, a method of completing the task that doesn’t involve the resource (or even a reasonable substitute) you initially felt you needed. If you don’t have the resources to do the job properly, you might have to devise a way to do the job differently. Maybe that different way of doing the job will be better.
Step four. In the absence of a necessary resource, alternative source, substitute resource, or innovation, the only choice might be to employ much more significant time and energy than originally intended. Don’t underestimate the value of this because, so often, it is the only workaround available: Try harder to get it done the hard way! If you can’t find or fashion a vehicle, sometimes all you can do is walk (or run… or crawl). If you don’t have rations, sometimes you just have to do the job-hungry and thirsty.
Don’t make the mistake of leaving your employees to their own devices to figure out how to get the resources they need to get their jobs done. It’s critical that you engage your direct reports regularly to make sure they are planning for the resources they need, especially if they either cannot secure the resources they need on their own or must come up with a workaround or a plan B. You want to make sure to be part of that decision-making process every step of the way.
