Apples and Oranges: The Fruits of Good Management

One of the most frustrating situations as an employee is not a mean boss, a micromanager, nor even an incompetent boss. In my experience, the worst and most common type of management challenges is lack of consistency. This is where I talk about apples and oranges as a metaphor for work requests. Here is an example:

Boss asks employee to do a specific piece of work. It doesn’t matter if is writing a marketing plan, producing a report, or designing a creative piece. The situation is the same, the boss asks the employee for a very specific task, and the employee leaves to do the work and then returns with the completed project. At this point the boss becomes frustrated saying because the employee did not do what the boss asked, and instead did something very different. Here is the dialog of the exchange:

Boss: We need 5 red apples for the board meeting next Wed. Please find 5 red apples and bring them to me.

Employee: Got it, no problem. 5 red apples by next Wednesday.

… a short time later

Employee: Hey Boss here are the 5 red apples you asked for.

Boss: That’s not what I asked for! Weren’t you paying attention? I asked for 3 oranges. These are apples. Try again!

… an even shorter time later

Employee: Here are the 3 oranges you wanted.

Boss: What!!? I asked for 4 pears. Now we are out of time. How are we supposed to get 4 pears in the next few minutes?

Employee: But….um… you said apples….???

This situation plays itself out so regularly I call it the Apples and Oranges management problem. It really is no one’s fault. The employee is doing his or her best to get the job done, and sometimes the boss is just to busy to keep track of everything. Other times the boss is on the receiving end of the same issue and their manager changed apples to oranges. The boss is simply passing along the request. This issue happens very often in fast moving companies like startups. By the time the work is completed, the need has changed. Here are some ways to solve this problem:

1. Email: It seems like email would be a natural solution because it creates an electronic record of the exchange. The problem is the “apples to orange” bosses often don’t use email because they feel it “slows them down.”

2. Template: Whenever possible, work through a template. Get specifics on the marketing plan, campaign, article, etc. and use a standard department or company template. If it doesn’t exist, get some bonus points and offer to create one.

3. Project management tool: Try use a workflow tool like MS Project, Wrike, Asana, or JIRA. These tools “processize” work and tracks requests, edits, and collaboration.

4. Ask for an example: This one is tough because it can make you sound stupid. “Hey boss, I’m not familiar with apples, can you show me an example of one?” It’s a bit painful, but it works. Examples also gives you and idea of what the boss considers to be a “best practice.”

5. Ask for help. Try your coworkers first. “Hey Bob, Boss asked me for an apple. Have you ever had to deliver an apple to Boss? “ Very often your peers will have experience a similar situation and know how to solve it. It is also a great opportunity for collaboration.

Just remember to keep your cool. This is not a bad manager out to get you. It is probably a busy person in a fast-moving environment. Someday it may be you on the other end asking for apples and really meaning oranges.

Do you have any tips or experience with an “apples and oranges” situation? Please comment.