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In her book, Who Says It's a Man's World: The Girls' Guide to Corporate Domination, Emily Bennington talks about how to deal with sticky situations when your client is really unhappy with how things are going. On projects, hopefully this doesn't happen too often to you, but at some point in your career you are likely to hit a big issue where you have really disappointed or annoyed a major stakeholder.
"The good news is that in business, you always have two opportunities to make a great impression: when you meet someone new and when you screw up," Emily says. She recommends responding ASAP - that is to Apologise, Sympathise, prepare an Action plan and then Perform. Here is a more information about the ASAP approach she outlines in the book.
Apologise
"Tell your client that you made a mistake honestly and immediately," Emily recommends. This means being very clear about the problem and the situation you find yourself in. Don't try to mince words or conceal the truth as this will only make it worse. Tell your project stakeholder about the issue as soon as you can, even if you don't yet have any idea about how you will get yourself and the team out of the situation.
Make sure that as part of your description about the problem you remember to apologise for it happening. You can say how sorry you are about the situation, even if it was not in your control to prevent whatever it is that has gone wrong.
Sympathise
"The fastest way to drive a wedge between you and your clients is if they think you don't care," Emily writes. Let the project stakeholders concerned express their thoughts and vent a bit. This is your time to do some constructive listening. You may have to listen to several people comment on the situation. Try to gently put them right if they have grasped any of the facts wrong, but do be clear that you understand that they must be very frustrated. You can say something like, “You must be very disappointed. I was too.”
Action plan
"Ideally, you would be able to do so in person, but if that's not possible, a phone or video conference is the next best thing," she says. Don't rely on email to communicate the bad news or what you are going to do about it. Don’t expect the project sponsor or the stakeholder concerned to come up with the plan for what happens next. You should have done all your homework and be at the point where you can approach this part of the discussion with a clear idea of how you are going to put it right. This conversation may happen a little later – it may take time for you to work out the action plan, so don’t feel as if you can’t start talking to the stakeholders concerned until you have the plan sorted out. Don’t delay step one in anticipation of preparing the plan.
The project stakeholders or your sponsor may have other suggestions, so be prepared to discuss these as well as your preferred option. You can jointly agree on the next steps if that is more appropriate but it is likely that your project customer will be looking to you for advice on how to remedy the problem.
Perform
"Your reputation is on the line here and this is a pivotal juncture in your client relationship," Emily concludes. It is important to deliver on the promises you made in the action plan. This is where you really have the opportunity to impress (or further fail) your stakeholders. Make every effort to ensure that the plan you put together is achievable and that you have the support of the team and the sponsor when you commit to it – otherwise the Perform step is going to be very difficult to achieve successfully!