…says someone who just arrived at your desk, or maybe in a chat message. You’re thinking, I’m so busy, this is the last thing I need right now! So, what do you do?
Will you help me?
Co-worker #42
You’re busy and running behind and really don’t think you can spare the time. So, how do you respond? “No way dude, I’m slammed?”. That’s kinda rude and not the answer you’d want if you were on the other side of that question mark.
How about:
Sure, I can help, but can we keep it 15-20 min right now and find some time later if that isn’t enough?
Congratulations! You said NO by saying YES!
This is even easier if your team has an ordinal priority list. In that world, you know the relative priority of all projects and whether you should allocate very little time, or as much as is needed to the incoming request for help.
The management version of this is:
I need to borrow people for my project.
Some Manager
I had the good fortune to work in companies where priorities were clearly outlined by the CEO. The above discussion between managers, while not fun, can happen without drama. “What project do you need people for?” Once I knew the project, I knew what I had to do, and it happened without having to escalate to our respective management.
Thinks like prioritized lists, clear goals and defined processes allow this sort of management in absentia to happen. Things run much more smoothly if people can solve problems themselves. They also feel more empowered and, hopefully, happier with their job.