The 40-40-20 Rule

​You’ve probably heard of the 40-40-20 rule, right?  Nope?
 
How about the 80-20 rule? What’s that, you say?
 
There are many percentages ballyhooed about to describe situations we encounter in the world and how to categorize people in terms of what bucket they fall into. Percentages are used for many things – to predict; to define; to give us understanding; to stereotype. They also help us understand the world in simpler chunks so we can take one bite at a time.
 
I tossed the 40-40-20 rule on the table several weeks ago and it resonated with my conversational partners at the time. Probably because it makes sense.

It goes something like this: Let’s presume you’re working on a task. It can be anything. But if you are in charge, or you need to reach out to people for answers, you (and the project itself) can’t succeed without their input and contribution.
 
You need to hear back from people. The 40-40-20 rule is a fairly accurate representation, IMO, for the response rates of people in these situations.
 

• More or less 40 percent of people are responsible and get back to you by email, text or phone if you contact them and want to get information
• Another 40 percent of people are mildly responsible. They don’t respond to your initial communication. So you wait a week, maybe two, remind them of your initial correspondence, then you hear back from them and they apologize for the delay and share the requested data.
• The final 20 percent are recalcitrant. They erect a wall. They pretend you don’t exist. They ignore all forms of communication. Even if you dog them, you don’t hear back. This group creates great frustration on all job fronts.

What’s a committed person to do? How do you deal with these people? You must get a response or you fail in your job. Your boss is counting on you.

There is no sure-fire solution. At least none that I have found. It seems there are several potential tactics able to bear fruit.

1. Be relentless. Continue to call text and email at a measured pace. Stagger your message and use different prompts. Perhaps the individual will wear down.
2. Enlist a work colleague to help. Find someone on your staff who knows the individual. Plead for help. Most people love to be wanted and are likely to willingly assist. Explain the predicament and need. Let your colleague carry the water.
3. Go above the job title of the person you are trying to reach. This is not necessarily recommended as you may REALLY NEED this individual and going above his or her pay grade could raise their ire. Attempt this with full recognition of the perils.
4. Move on. Sometimes it is best to move on. Rather than use the preferred contact, you go to a secondary source. In many ways, I like this option. Typically you get the information you need and someone eager to assist. You may also find that when you give up and move on, that the initial person suddenly comes to the table. Why? Who the heck knows? But it seems to happen with regularity in my small world.

 
Projects are hard enough when you’re pulling together random people and information from multiple sources and operating under a deadline. You don’t need the forehead-pounding headache of the recalcitrant individual. Remember the 40-40-20 rule, and eliminate the 20’s to get to those first 40 and you’ll need less Advil in your life.