If I have to do your job…

Chasing. Nothing drives me crazier than having to chase people for things that they are responsible for that I depend on.

Depend on to do my work well.

Depend on to bring something to resolution.

Depend on to directly help/impact the person I’m waiting on for a response.

I try to be very understanding because I know there are lots of reasons why people don’t respond.

Sometimes there are legitimate emergencies — illness, accident, etc. — that prevent someone from meeting a deadline.

I also know that we live in an instant, on-demand culture where lots of people expect immediacy in all things all of the time. Each person may have 15 different people asking them for things at a given time. I’m not always going to be at the top of the list and I try to keep my needs in context of the whole of what they are facing as they juggle multiple priorities.

That’s not what I’m talking about at all.

I’m talking about the following:

“I was just too busy to respond.”

“My inbox is so full that I can’t get to it.”

And my favorite…the complete non-response. No acknowledgement that it was ever received. Nothing but crickets on my end. The black hole.

Here’s the thing: we are all busy. We all have inboxes that never seem to end. We could all work way more hours in a day than we actually do. And we all have to find a balance between getting our own deep work done and responding to the needs of others.

Ask yourself this:

Are you a chronic non-responder? If so, have you thought about what impression that gives people about your abilities and your professionalism?

Having to be chased is inconsiderate. It makes more work for both the chasee and the chaser: extra emails, more time wasted, and the mental labor of keeping something alive and on your radar that should have been wrapped up to make sure it doesn’t fall through the cracks.

Has anyone ever had to chase me for something? Yes. And I’ve been horrified, embarrassed and apologetic each time.

Responsiveness is a core value. Even taking 15 seconds to send someone a note that says — “I know you need me for this. I’m slammed. You’ll have it by Friday. Thanks for your patience.” — relieves the person from the burden of wondering and chasing and also gives you a deadline to make sure you follow-through.

One of the most tough-love things I ask my coaching clients who are making excuses for an employee’s non-responsiveness or poor performance is,

“If you have to do their job for them, what do you need them for?”

Spend time this week noticing how often people have to chase you for information, responses, or output. Are you someone that people have to chase? And if so, how can you find ways to be more responsive?

Is it a volume issue? A time management issue? A prioritization issue? All three? They to determine what the primary cause is, and then implement some strategies to contain it.

And if you find you are constantly having to chase the same person over and over — and you don’t have the luxury of not engaging with them — try having a conversation with them about how you could both benefit by restructuring your communication/interactions.

Instead of sending them 6 separate emails with requests, can you schedule a ten minute sit down once or twice a week and get what you need that way instead?

Approach that conversation with empathy and remember that it’s probably not personal. Maybe something is going on that you aren’t aware of.

In the end, maybe we all — myself included — can work a little harder to not be someone who needs to be chased.