Two-Minute Drill: Tips for Success When Your Team is Racing the Clock

In an ideal world, your work team would always complete projects ahead of schedule, with plenty of time to tie up any loose ends. In reality, any number of factors can cause unforeseen delays, putting you and your team up against a tight deadline with a lot on the line.

In sports, one hallmark of successful teams is their time management under pressure, late in games. They’re masters of the two-minute drill.

Your team doesn’t have to work in front of thousands of screaming fans, plus millions more watching on TV, but the principles remain the same – for both leaders and team members.

What's important for succeeding in crunch time at work?

1. Be realistic but positive.

   Acknowledge the challenge, but then tell the people around you that you believe they’re up to it. If they can’t feel your confidence in them, why should they be confident in themselves?

2. Know where you’re going.

   Sometimes, the objective is still a long way off and you need a lot of things to go right to get there in time. Other times, however, you just need to hit one more short-term goal, and you can breathe easy from then on. The important thing is to know exactly how far you still have to go, and then focus on the “how” of getting there.

3. Know exactly how much time you have to get there.

   Break that time down into concrete chunks: “By this time, we’ll have done this. Then we have this much time to get to the next point.” Then, focus on each chunk of time and its activity, rather than jumping ahead to the next.

4. Stay sharp.

   Time crunches magnify the effects of mistakes. Just as a penalty or unforced turnover can derail a late drive, a mental lapse can derail your efforts to hit your deadline. Whatever your go-to concentration aids might be – music, something caffeinated, closing the office door – now’s the time to make use of them.

5. Don’t dwell on the setbacks.

   You don’t have time to hang your heads or play blame games. Sort all of that out later. In the moment, if someone stumbles, pick them up, give them a quick pep talk and keep moving forward.

6. Know when to stop the clock.

   Something not looking right? People on different pages? Stop everything, immediately, and figure it out. It’s better to take a short break to get things right than to go forward when there’s confusion. That’s how disasters happen. Also, make sure you empower everyone on the team to put up a hand and say, “Hey, wait. Something’s off.”

7. Celebrate the wins.

   You pulled it off against the clock. That’s a victory. Treat it like one. Take some time to congratulate everyone and recognize their contributions. Above all, remind them that they reached the goal as a team.

Every game plan needs a Plan B, a Plan C and beyond.

1. Have contingencies in place well before you need them.

   If you have to discuss what to do next after something goes wrong (or right), you’re wasting time. Your plan should include contingencies for any foreseeable events. That’s why it’s important to prepare for short-deadline situations and make sure everyone knows the “if/then” plan. 

   The teams that excel in two-minute drills are those who’ve established a sequence of actions and practiced it thoroughly. Decisions made in haste are almost never the right ones, because stress plays absolute havoc with reasoning and decision-making skills.

2. Sometimes, the only option is to play for more time.

   What’s your last-ditch plan to buy that time – to force overtime, to continue the metaphor? What are the signs that you have no other choice? Know that plan, and when to execute it, in advance. 

   Specifics matter. “When it's clear we're not going to hit the deadline isn't specific.” “When it's noon on Deadline Day and we're under 75 percent complete" is. Stick to that fail-safe line, whatever it is, once it's set. Don't gamble.

3. Practice when urgency isn’t a factor. 

   This is the best time to hone techniques and processes, to learn what works and what doesn’t. Pick a time when your team has less to do and there’s a risk of losing focus. Throw them a task on a short deadline.

   It should be a task that your team might have to perform in a short timeframe, but – as with any practice situation – let them know that learning is the main goal.

4. Don't make short timeframes all-the-time frames.

   Short deadlines – whether externally or internally imposed – shouldn’t be the norm for most businesses. In their proper place, they can bring a lot of benefits to your team: cohesion, ability to work under pressure and a sense of accomplishment.

   But if you’re always under a deadline crunch, and if that’s not the norm for your field, then you have other time management issues to work out – issues that can lead to stress, lowered productivity and burnout. Solve those issues, and you might not have to play against the clock quite so often.

Struggling with clock management? Sign up today for this one-hour webinar! How to Manage Priorities & Time