The other day, B-Dub sent me an email and asked that I respond. The email discussed several things, including deposition scheduling, which is Secretary X's job. B-Dub is giving Secretary X less and less work now (I know why, but can't disclose the reason yet).
I went to Secretary and confirmed the deposition dates she scheduled the week before. She went on and on ... and ON ... about all the work she did to schedule the depositions. I'm not particularly sure what exactly is so difficult about giving direct, straight forward answers, but evidently it's too difficult to do. I think she believes that if she confuses people with her nonsensicle jibberish, she can easily get out of her ambiguous responses later on. Well, I just keep hounding her until she gives me a straight answer. She hates that (and, hey, if a little torture gets me what I need, I'm all for it).
So, I told her B-Dub asked me to respond to an email about deposition scheduling and she Fuh-reaked out! She started throwing things onto her desk and yelling that I am making this task too confusing and that she is the only one that is supposed to schedule depositions. Right, but when was the last time she did something she was supposed to? Exactly! Also, since when did she start expecting responsibility and autonomous ownership of her own tasks? Where was I? What did you do with my secretary? I tried clicking my heals together, but alas, my heals were neither clad in rubies, nor of the slipper variety. She actually insisted on doing her own work?
I don't know how I did it, but I was able to keep a lid on the laugh factory until I returned to my desk.
The next day, I got an email on a different case about depositions and forwarded it to her with a note that I would handle the depositions unless she would prefer to do it, but that we will need to do it quickly. (I nearly died as I sent the email, knowing the rage that was going to fill her head and potentially explode.)
Just as expected, per her exemplary behavior the day before, she FUH-REAKED out again. She sent me a long email about how she knows more about the procedure to schedule depositions than I ever will and I basically need to do my own work and leave her to do her work. (Voice in my head: "Whoa, dude! Just trying to help ya out homey.")
So, it turns out I have stumbled upon the magic trick to get her to do her own work: offer to do it for her. Who would've thunk it?
LOL!
...And that, my dear, is what the old folks, used to refer to as "heaping the coals of fire of kindness upon their heads." < huge grin >
ReplyDeleteDoesn't always work, but it can and in this case, it sounds like your target does have a modicum of a conscience so you're in business. It's the ones that either don't or are so dense that you get the "duh" reaction that it fails with.
Good on you as our Aussie cousins say!
Uh, has she actually scheduled the depositions or just ranted and raved and told you that she knows more about the procedure and will do it? Keep an eye on her to make sure it is done.
ReplyDelete@Fort Worth: Actually, she was fired before she scheduled them. Funny you would ask... do you know her that well?
ReplyDelete