Team members often struggle with a task and feel that they need to persist until it is resolved. I love that the team member displays such a level of tenacity. Still, there is always a stage when a higher authority needs to be brought in to seek a speedier resolution.
There are many ways that a resolution can be applied. Maybe the task needs more resources assigned to it. Perhaps there is an easier way to do the job. Perhaps influence needs to be brought in to jump the queue.
So many things for the good can happen when an issue is escalated.
Team Members can be reluctant to escalate either because:
- They don’t want to bother
- They don’t want to appear incompetent
Both beliefs are dangerous and need to be removed from the team members’ thinking.
All team members need to know where the escalation button is and how to press it.
They need to be assured that they are not judged when an issue is escalated.
Any team leader should be keen to receive escalations. It points to opportunities to improve and maybe learning instances to share. Better to receive a timely escalation rather than an irretrievable surprise