That’s how I’ve been feeling for the past few months. Working on numerous projects at a super fast pace. It’s inevitable that things are going to go wrong when you’re working with multiple teams and there are so many moving parts.

There are a lot of times when MORE is better, but when it comes to your workload, this isn’t one of those times.

I’m sure you can relate. There’s just too much to do and not enough time. And no offense to those who say, “Beyonce has the same 24 hours in a day.” Because how DARE you compare us mortals to a goddess. Just saying. Now where was I …

Ah, yes. We all know the struggle. Doing the role of 3 people while handling urgent, non-stop communications in the office, on the phone and through email. It’s overwhelming!

I think Drew Barrymore said it best in He’s Just Not That Into You. While she was talking about the world of dating, I think it’s applies accurately to work as well:

“I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work so I called him at home and then he e-mailed me to my Blackberry and so I texted to his cell and then he e-mailed me to my home account and the whole thing just got out of control. And I miss the days when you had one phone number and one answering machine and that one answering machine has one cassette tape and that one cassette tape either had a message from a guy or it didn’t. And now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It’s exhausting.”

I mean, I’m exhausted from just reading that paragraph. And then you multiply this one paragraph by hundreds that you have to read for 8 to 10 hours a day. Next thing you know, you’ll be signing up for Lasik a la Taylor Swift and crying because you grabbed the wrong banana.

Miscommunications. Misunderstandings. Misdirections. Mix them all together and what do you get? The perfect recipe for disaster.

When working in high-pressure jobs, mistakes are inevitable. What matters is that when they happen, you acknowledge them. You take accountability. You make corrections and you learn from them.

My biggest pet peeve when people make mistakes is when they constantly point fingers at other people. They position themselves as a victim of circumstances. There’s always someone else or some other incident that caused them to be late, to make a mistake, to not follow directions.

Taking accountability shows that you’re willing to admit your part when the wheels start going off the tracks. Because at the pace we’re all working, it’s only a matter of time before another problem comes to the surface.

But placing blame on others doesn’t help create a solution. This is when all parties involved need to get together, address the issues that are plaguing the team and the group project, and from there, determine what the next steps will be to get everyone back on the same page to achieve one common goal.

Whether you’re a team member or the manager, this is the time to make an effort to LISTEN to what others are saying. To tackle the problem areas and come up with a game plan on how everyone can ultimately be successful – TOGETHER.

For more on how to master the skill of LISTENING and being a better manager, check out this book! *No affiliation with my team

Challenge yourself this week to LISTEN to a colleague or team member when issues come up. Take accountability if you’re in the wrong, and come up with suggestions on how to get the project back on track.