A problem I deal with is making deadlines because
I’m an over-committer and want to say “yes” all of the time. I just hate saying “no.” When say, “I don’t have enough time for that,”
I feel as if I’m not doing my part to manage my time. I'm not alone in this as there are people who under-deliver or just have problems prioritizing. We all have problems making our deadlines.
But we're all members of the same team, so we should help each other, right? How can you help someone who struggles to make deadlines without being a jerk? The doomsayer type
would say, “How come you didn’t get it done? If you don’t get it done, we’ll miss our
commitment and then the other team will miss theirs and then the world will
implode!” A doormat type might say, “You can't get it done? Okay,
I’ll do it for you.”
The answer is to nag and agree to be nagged.
“Nag” is a term coined by one of my co-workers who is very
good with helping people keep commitments.
She uses the term to nicely say “I’m not saying you’re not working on
this, but I want to remind you that there’s a timeline that we’ve committed to.
You don’t have to give me an update, just let me know that you hear me.” Her projects are consistently on-time due to
her nagging. I do take great joy in
nagging back after being the “Nag-ee” for many years.
The point with nagging as a workgroup term is that there’s
no mean-ness, it’s just a helpful reminder that helps to make sure that
timelines are met and workflow is focused.
If you nag, do it nicely. So when your team mate emails you “Just
nagging,” you can reply a quick “Yup, on track.” A nag does not need a detailed update, only
comfort.
So, let’s nag and get nagged!
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