You use workarounds all the time. A workaround is a way of doing something because the way it is supposed to work is broken or becomes deficient in some way. In fact, you become so used to it that it becomes normal. You just accept it and make accommodations for what doesn’t work right.

In your practice, do people have to make workarounds because you are the obstacle? That’s a terrible thing to consider and hopefully isn’t true of you—but is it?

• Do people allow more time to review and fix your work because you don’t get it to the expected level of completion? You are capable of doing better work sometimes, but you aren’t reliable enough to count on you. So more time is allotted to fix your work.
• Do people artificially move the deadline up because you never met a deadline you couldn’t miss? This is a common workaround if you procrastinate. You say, “But I have until Friday so I’ll work on it Thursday.” When something comes up Thursday and you can’t get to it, you blame it on the unforeseen intrusion instead of you waiting until the last minute to complete it. Regardless, you have to be worked around.

These are two common workarounds. There are others. Maybe the question isn’t, “are you a workaround?” but “HOW are you a workaround?”

The sad thing is, you are probably unaware of others having to work around your deficiencies. All you see are the good things you do and believe they should be lucky to have you. In reality, while they may appreciate your talent and skill, they have to work around your irresponsibility that creates obstacles for them. While they count on what you bring to the project, they also have to work around you to ensure successful engagements.

Be better this week.