Do you know how to avoid being blocked?

Sometimes you'll need the time of a busy person (like your boss or a person on billable work) for an approval, and you may find their availability limited. You need techniques so you're not blocked, so here is a process you can follow:

1. Attempt to warn then call, explaining that you're blocked
2. If no luck, message with "Tried to call - will try again in 1 hour", then set yourself a reminder or an appointment
3. If no luck again, message with "I haven't been able to get you, so I'll go to {{ SOMEONE ELSE }} instead for the approval"
4. Once approved, message with something like "{{ SOMEONE ELSE }} approved it... See the email that you're CCed on for details 🙂"

For the above, your escalation path for something that usually needs a particular person should go something like this:

1. The person
2. Your State Manager
3. Any State Manager
4. Any Manager

Tip #1: Use common sense. Some things may make more sense to try a few times with your boss before escalating.

Tip #2: Of course, some things really are big decisions that should not be escalated. But these should be the exception, not the rule.

Tip #3: Your boss will have some things they care about a lot, and they won't want escalated. Could be money related, hiring decisions, or their YouTube channel. Be aware of those.