Are You a Professional Nag?

The event is over.

You have tons of papers from your gigantic post it notepad of the things to do.

Some of them you can easily do yourself, but other items you need other people to do. How do you feel?

Knowing that you will need to request the assistance of others can be a challenge in itself. Initially, I found myself with a number of reminders on my Outlook calendar to remind other people to do stuff for me. That was when I realized that I had become a Professional Nag. I even had systems set up for nagging. Recurring appointments, strategically placed memos, and a running laundry list of things to nag about in the morning meeting.

Sustainability is one of the most difficult of the Five S’s - I must admit. Because the fact of the matter is that defects don’t ever completely die. They just lay dormant until the moment when old habits creep in or gaps form in training new people to follow the new process. So you must remain vigilant in observing processes to ensure they are supporting the vision of the change initiatives.

So how can you AVOID being a Professional Nag?

1. Be more sensitive to others schedule

You may not realize this, but the person you are nagging may not see your task as being that important. I mean that relatively speaking. If their boss has been breathing down their neck about the new product launch, whatever you asked for is going to take a backseat. It’s best to get some information on upcoming projects, prior to the event because you may need to reschedule if this task is critical to successful implementation.

2. Confirm Instructions

You will be surprised that the item you are asking about does not get done because of a lack of instructions. Don’t ever assume that the person knows exactly what you need or even has all the resources available to get it done. Tactfully ask if further assistance is needed.

3. Take the Dr. Phil Stance

Sometimes the language we use in your messages (especially email) can be offensive to others or not convey your intended tone. You may be using the get this done or else tone, which isn’t very motivating at home or at work. So try a different angle. Meet with the person face-to-face to just try to find out what’s going on in their life and world. Maybe there is something you can do for them to release some pressure off of them. That will be a segueway to ask for them to complete your task. It’s like professional bartering. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. Make them an offer to help and they will be grateful.

I hope you can grasp that the bottomline is to simply be more human. We all have our own circumstances and limitations we are dealing with. Once you are aware of which direction the river is flowing, you can swim with the current rather than against it.

Monique

Welcome back to Lean Six Sigma Source! Thanks for your continued support.