I’ve had to deal with many types of people, I’d like to describe some of the ones I have worked with today:
The Toddler – Have you ever tried to get a toddler to do something? It’s always a negotiation of some sorts: “Clean your plate” he then wipes everything off the plate and on to the floor, “Take the garbage out” becomes the garbage outside, by the front door. They obey the letter of the law, and see if they can get away with ignoring the spirit.
The Chicken Little – Everything is a devastating failure, or it’s on its way to become one. If this doesn’t happen, everything is going to fail!! (I had four of these e-mails before noon.) It’s a wonder that they can even exist with all the danger that lurks outside. Mentioning the phrase “Self-fulfilling Prophecy” only gets you a stern glance.
The Push Back to the Future - To this guy, time has no meaning. If he says it will be done on Friday, you cannot be sure which Friday he means, this one, next one, or the third one in February. Some of it is disorganization, some of it is an increased workload, and some of it is, if he doesn’t work for you, he doesn’t work with you.
Luckily, at some point in my many years, I have been each of these, so I know how to deal with them:
The Toddler – Swamp him with specific instructions and a ton of work. Like dealing with real children, its an endurance game, whomever has the most wins.
The Chicken Little – Give him time to air his concerns, making him feel validated, then basically say “Ok, those are the risks, now what can we do to overcome them” It gets him involved, and also shows him that no matter what the risks, we are moving ahead.
The Push Back to the Future - E-mail is the way to go with this guy, if you are relying on phone conversations or face to face meetings, unless you have a stenographer present, its going to be he said she said kind of deal. Armed with your e-mails, take it up to his boss and say “Last Monday he said by Friday, its Monday again, where is it?”
So I spent a good part of my day hand holding, instead of doing the work I had to do. Plus none of them respect the fact that I have Fubar to look over. C’mon people, work with me, I gots bewbs to oogle.
