Some workplace frustrations seem to have remarkable staying power.

A few that still get under my skin”

“We’ve always done it this way.”

Sometimes there is a perfectly good reason to keep doing something the same way. But if nobody can explain the reason beyond tradition, I’m going to have questions.

Goals without authority or resources.

Few things are more frustrating than being held responsible for an outcome while lacking the access, people, budget or decision-making authority needed to influence it.

Accountability works better when responsibility and authority actually know each other.

The disappearing act.

You send the email.

Nothing.

Follow up.

Nothing.

Then three weeks later, the topic suddenly becomes urgent.

People get busy. Messages get missed. But chronic nonresponse creates work for everyone else.

Meetings that should have been an email.

Still with us.

And its close relative:

Meetings that could have ended 20 minutes ago.

Enough said.

Performative urgency.

Everything is urgent.

Every request is high priority.

Every deadline is crtical.

Eventually, urgency loses its meaning and people have to guess what deserves attention first.

The accountability boomerang.

Leaders expect follow-through, responsiveness and ownership from everyone around them, then make exceptions for themselves.

People notice.

Overcomplicating simple things.

A five-step approval for a two-minute decision.

A 30-slide presentation when five slides would tell the story.

A process with so many workarounds that the workaround eventually becomes the process.

Complexity has a way of multiplying when nobody periodically asks why it’s there.

The Pet Peeve Behind the Pet Peeves

Looking at the list, there’s a common thread:

Avoidable difficulty.

Work is already complicated enough.

Clear expectations help.

Decisions help.

Responsiveness helps.

Giving people authority to do what they’re accountable for helps.

And occasionally asking “Do we still need to do this?” can help a lot.

Of course, I’m certain I have workplace habits that irritate somebody else.

We all do.

That’s probably a list for another day.