The Office - You Missed The Deadline!(0116)

A:

And so, I just wanted to check in with you and find out where we are with this project. As you know, you've missed a fairly significant deadline last week, and this will negativity impact the team's ability to move forward with the next stages of this project.

B:

I know, I'm really sorry that I missed the deadline. But really, it wasn't my fault. You see, we had all of these unexpected technical problems at the last minute, and that I couldn't get into the database and extract the kind of information that I needed for the data analyis. You know, if the tech guys would have done their job and kept the CRM stable, then I wouldn't have missed my deadline.

A:

Oh, come on! An excuse like that is tantamount to lying. You're essentially blaming the tech team for your time management issues, rather than accepting responsibility for the fact that you were procrastinating for the past two weeks.

B:

No, I'm not trying to pass the buck here; I know that it was me who is ultimately responsible for getting this done. But the thing is, I could have finished on time if the system hadn't gone down. And you know, with everything I've got going on now, I can't afford to waste time dealing with technical problems. I've got a lot on my plate and there are only twenty-four hours in a day...

A:

I'm not going to accept this excuse. You're using these small technical glitches as a crutch and trying to rationalize the fact that you've missed your deadline. Look, we have standards and I expect you to live up to those standards. No more phoney excuses. If you're in over your head, you tell me. No more missed deadlines. Now, I want that data on my desk by nine am!

Key Vocabulary

tantamount

Adjective

same as, equivalent to

fairly significant

phrase

very important or very relevant

essentially

General Adverb

in essence, basically

as a crutch

phrase

used to indicate you justify failure with excuses

rationalize

verb

to explain bad behavior in a way that (falsely) makes it seem proper or better

impact

verb

to have an effect on something

move forward

phrase

continue, go on

unexpected

Adjective

coming without warning

last minute

phrase

at the last moment

procrastinate

verb

leave tasks or duties for a later time

pass the buck

phrase

blame someone else, pass on the responsibility

ultimately

General Adverb

at last; in the end; eventually.

on my plate

phrase

another way of saying I have many things to do

phoney

Adjective

not true, fake or false

in over your head

phrase

too much to handle

Supplementary Vocabulary

behind schedule

phrase

later than expected

procrastination

common noun, non-variable

the action of delaying one's work

fabricate

verb

to create an untrue story

justify

verb

to give the reasons why you did something wrong

tardiness

common noun, non-variable

the quality of being late often