We all knew "those people" in college. You know... the ones that didn't pull their weight on the group project you were assigned, but were there on the day to present it and tried to take all the credit. Guess what? Those people all graduated college... eventually... and they all got jobs. Heck, you may even work next to one of these people, and probably wonder two things. One, how did they get through college? And two, how do they keep their job? I know you were thinking that once you graduated from college that once you got into the working world these people would just go away. (I know I did). Surprise! That isn't the case.

So what do you do? You figure out a way to work with them... or around them.

HAVE A MISSION

It's important to have a mission and goal. Everyone involved in the project or event should understand why they are working on a particular project. This creates a way to keep people motivated and moving forward towards the goal. Sometimes group members can disengage because they have no idea why they are doing something in the first place. In college, everyone was working towards a grade. Now, some cared more about that grade than others. You probably thought (like I did) that once these group members got into the working world that they would change. You thought that money would keep them motivated, but that's not always the case. People want to understand why they're doing something, so why not provide that in the form of a mission or goal?

SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS

Setting expectations up front can pave the way towards completing a successful project or event. If everyone knows what is expected you can easily measure if someone exceeds expectations or falls short. If you have group members that are not meeting expectations it's easy to remind them what was agreed upon during the initial planning meeting. Unclear expectations can leave your unmotivated group member(s) pointing the finger at someone else. They may adopt the mantra, "That isn't my job." Expectations can include how you will communicate about the project, the number of times everyone should check in on one another's progress, or how often you will meet, etc.

ASSIGN SPECIFIC TASKS

When you work in a group it's important to assign specific tasks and responsibilities to the group members. Hopefully, you have a boss that can delegate some of these tasks out. Still, there will be times where you will be on a committee with no clear leader. If you are a control freak... I mean... type A, like me, you leap to try and assign tasks. The tasks are the fine details and should be clear and measurable, so that everyone knows their jobs before the next meeting. 

PROVIDE A DEADLINE

Once everyone is clear on the mission/goal, expectations, and task list you need to set a deadline to have everything done. Without deadlines someone can come back to you and say, "I didn't realize you needed that so soon." You can create many deadlines to try and break the work up into smaller chunks. You can decide this as a group or if you have a clear leader, he or she may be setting this for you. 

CHECK IN, BUT DON'T MICROMANAGE

It's worthwhile to check in with people to see how they're doing on the tasks they've been assigned. This is especially true when dealing with "those people" I outlined at the opening. Yet, there is a difference between asking how it's going, and telling someone how to complete a task exactly how you would do it. There are a variety of ways to reach your goal and telling someone how to do it EXACTLY like you would do it, is crossing the line. You might worry about whether or not the assigned tasks will be completed, but sometimes you just have to trust it's going to get done. Let the people assigned to the task how and when the task will get done. 

RESIST TRYING TO DO IT ALL

When you see someone behind schedule or seemingly unable to do the task they've been assigned, ask if they need help, but don't do it for them. After all, you set out a process and expectations that tasks should be completed. You need to allow each person space to complete tasks at their pace, not yours. Some people work best under pressure and others work best if they tackle projects immediately after they are assigned. If you couldn't tell I am not a "last minute" person. Others, thrive in the final minutes leading up to a deadline. Stepping in and trying to do it all will lead to burnout and resentment towards those that are last minute. 

HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE

If any of the above items were not completed by the deadline you can now hold people accountable. You can ask the person that missed the deadline, "What happened?" When this happens, try to avoid jumping to conclusions about how lazy a person must be or unmotivated he or she is. Instead, ask questions. Here are some examples:

• Was the goal unclear?
• Were there expectations that you didn't understand?
• Were the tasks on the list unmanageable?
• Was the deadline to ambitious?
• Did you not have the resources you needed to complete the task?

If someone truly cares about the project and you ask the right questions, I bet you find that there was a miscommunication or mismanagement of resources along the way. The only problem is that you still have a task at hand, so it's important to brainstorm with the group about how to get it done. 

GET OTHERS INVOLVED

If after this process you still have people that fall short, you may need to escalate the missed deadline to a manager or someone higher up in the organization. There may be other factors at play here that are outside the control of the individual.

Another reason to get someone else (like your supervisor) involved is to ensure that he or she is aware of how the work was divided and what work each group member has taken on. While you're not working for a grade anymore, you also want to receive credit for the work you did, and not allow someone else to take that credit.  

THE WORK AROUND?

It's tempting to just work around a person that doesn't seem to be up to the standard of the rest of the group. We've all done this. Doing it ourselves is just easier than having to explain it to someone else, or the caliber of work that this person produces just isn't "up to snuff." There are two things at play here. First, the person that was supposed to do the project is getting a "pass" and essentially getting paid not to do the task that needs to be done. You're doing their work for them. Second, the person you're tempted to work around isn't learning anything or expanding their skills and they may be tempted to keep retreating from the organization, thus perpetuating the issue at hand. 

CONCLUSION

The people that frustrated you in college made it through and might be working in your organization. Hopefully, you can find a way (now that you're a mature adult) to work with them or help them be successful. Who knows, maybe they will appreciate the trust that you put in them, or maybe they realize that the job they're in isn't for them. So while these people didn't go away, maybe now you can figure out how to work better with them.