I’m checking in about that document I asked you to type up that says such and such? I haven’t heard back. To be clear, this will be the same document you did for me last month. You might remember I left it sitting on the printer for weeks. I think it was thrown out by someone. Can’t say for sure as I haven’t thought about it until today. Anyway, I know your time is limited doing everything else I ask of you, but it gives me a sense of accomplishment on my end to simply ask for this document. It makes me feel like I’m managing the company, though somewhere in the back of my mind I know I’m not, but I don’t access that part of my mind because it’s where I keep things that scare me.
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Dear Boss,
I’m sorry I’ve been putting this off and you’ve had to remind me. I was hoping you’d forget about it. Now that I know you won’t forget about this document I just want to tell you I’m going to get right on this for you. It will interfere with some of the other tasks that I do that have purpose but this certainly has its place as well, like washing my office chair. Give me a day and I’ll have that document ready for you.
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Why your torture plan will surely backfire
This is a case of the little boy who cried wolf. When you self-castrate like this your credibility is damaged, your ability to influence and garner respect wanes; you become that guy (a.k.a. Michael Scott from The Office). It’s essentially the same as being interrupted while you’re having a conversation by someone who wants to tell you their story. The chances of you recovering from this are slim because people aren’t motivated to forget annoying behavior.
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Maybe try this instead?
Show your employee you have a basic concern for their workload. Engage in short and long-term planning with them to assess what tasks are the most important, and which can be ignored. If you make that basic concern your starting point then any future requests will be given more consideration and respect.