Photo by Austin Distel from Unsplash

6 Tips for Escalating Effectively at work

Why we need escalation as a mechanism?

We are often solving complex problems at work, we cannot succeed by working as individuals in silos. Instead, we depend on each other to achieve a common goal. However, for large organizations, with huge amount of information and constantly moving parts, things can easily get misaligned or out of sync. Even though everyone is encouraged to be an owner and leader, some problems can’t be resolved by ourselves or at our level, maybe we don’t have enough resources or information to make a call. This is when escalation comes into play, it is a mechanism to raise concerns to leaders and stakeholders if we believe desired outcomes are at risk. When used effectively, it allows a person or team to unblock themselves sooner and faster, it prevents critical incidences that will negatively impact our customers and business.

What are our tenets when approaching escalation?

1. We cultivate a high trust organization culture by handling issues, disagreements, and conflicts rather than ignoring them.
2. We escalate for the sake of the team and the greater good.
3. We take ownership to solve our problems but escalate when things are not within our control.

6 Tips for escalating effectively

1. It can feel awkward about escalation especially when you are new to an organization or new in your career. But escalation by itself is a neutral tool and can be used in a healthy way. Sending an escalation doesn’t necessarily mean you failed at doing your job or incapable of solving your problems. An effective escalation is also not throwing your counterparts under the bus. Instead, it is a powerful mechanism to raise awareness on critical issues and ask for help to unblock yourself to serve your customers.
2. Do your due diligence first, but don’t wait too long to escalate. On one hand, do your homework and research, weigh your options, attempt to solve the problems first. As the frontline fighter against the problem, you probably understand the problem better than anyone else. So if you don’t understand the problem well enough, others will have a hard time providing what you need. On the other hand, as soon as you realize the root cause of the problem is not within your control, or you see nobody is actively solving the problem but waiting for the problem to go away on its own, you should escalate to your manager/leader for additional support.
3. Categorize the problem and find the right POC for escalation. For example, you may want to escalate to a senior or principal if this is a technical problem; Or escalate to your PM if this is a product-related issue; or escalate to your manager for team-related issues. But of course, it’s very likely to copy a mix of folks in your escalation.
4. Make your escalation structured and action-oriented. If you can, list out 1) what the issue is, where you are stuck at, 2) what the perceived consequences are, 3) what are the options you considered, 4) what specifically you need help with, 5) when do you need a decision/response by. If you know what actions your manager/leader to take, be specific about it. For example, do you want them to make a decision based on the options you presented? Do you want them to host a meeting including you and another party to get alignment? Do you want access to additional information? Do you want them to provide clarity on prioritization, etc.?
5. Provide a balanced view of the issue. Separate the facts from the emotions in an escalation. This is not saying we shouldn’t have emotions at work and behave like robots, but when escalating, it is important to focus on the observable facts and present perspectives from both sides. When appropriate, include the other party in your escalation, don’t surprise them.
6. Talking with a peer helps a lot. Talking through things brings clarity to your own thoughts. And it’s very likely others have run into a similar situation and can share some advice.

Tips for handling escalation (managers, leaders)

1. Set expectations with your teams on what types of issues/decisions should be escalated. Be clear about what problems you should solve and what problems your reports should rightfully own.
2. Have a balanced approach to escalation, give all voices equal weight. It is crucial to listen to all sides of the story, get details of the matter, focus on the facts, and act in an unbiased manner.
3. Understand what is being asked of you. For example, do you need to make a decision among the options presented to you, do you need to take further action, or your report just want to talk through the case and get some guidance and coaching?
4. Think about how to provide a different perspective to look at the issue, how to reframe the problem to inspire solutions. For example, ask “what would our customers react to our approach to resolve the issue?”
5. Follow up with actions you are taking and your progress. Be transparent if you can’t do it now. Many issues raised in escalations can’t be resolved instantly, and people do understand that and don’t expect an immediate resolution or your immediate action. But they would appreciate some follow-up on what you plan to do, how it is going, and your guidance on what they can do to unblock themselves in the meantime.

Thank you for reading. Let’s keep improving!