Get people to do what you want............How? 1

[MeGustaXL]

Boss: The place looks a right tip - get it sorted before the MD comes round!

Approach #1

Me: Listen up bleepholes! Boss wants this sty cleaned up - so let's tidy!

[chorus of oprobrious invective]

Approach #2

Me: Errmm... could I have your attention for a moment, please? Err... listen everyone please! Thanks, errr.. the Boss said it's untidy in here, not naming anyone or anything, but err.. she wants us to tidy up a bit so do you think you could umm.. you know, with your own areas, and ...?

[giggles, muttering, inactivity]

Approach #3

Me: Shelly, I need this place spick and span by three pee emm for the MD's visit - can you help me round up a few folks and blitz it?

Shelley: Well, I would, but I'm already maxed out - try Delores.

[repeat with all staff until I end up doing it myself]


Help me! How can I wave a magic wand that makes these situations easy?

[droptoknees][clasphandsinprayer]

Chris

If yer see a Rook on 'is own, im's a Crow. If yer sees a flock o' Crows, them's Rooks - My Uncle Cecil

 

[KenCunningham]

You can't. Just keep the place tidy in the first place and the problem doesn't arise.

I don't mind people who aren't what they seem. I just wish they'd make their mind up.

 

[MeGustaXL]

Gee, thanks Ken. No really. Thanks.














Chris

If yer see a Rook on 'is own, im's a Crow. If yer sees a flock o' Crows, them's Rooks - My Uncle Cecil

 

[KenCunningham]

No problemo. I tell my kids the same all the time ;-)

I don't mind people who aren't what they seem. I just wish they'd make their mind up.

 

[MeGustaXL]

I bet you use Approach #1 with them, don't you?

I used to, when I was in The Mob, but now it seems that adults have minds of their own, and are unresponsive to the Authoritarian approach I favour!

[red]Now stop yackin' and gimme some proper answers![/red]

Chris

If yer see a Rook on 'is own, im's a Crow. If yer sees a flock o' Crows, them's Rooks - My Uncle Cecil

 

[Welshbird]

My boss tried bribery. ON a fairly constant basis!

No, I jest.

She works on the principle that she tried always to be fair, so we do all pop to the post office to post something when it isn't our lunch break, as the queues will be much less. And she buys donuts occasionally to cheer us up...

And so when she asks, we kinda want to help out, 'cos she's good to us generally.

How about that approach then?

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[MeGustaXL]

I like being on the receiving end! But I can't afford it!

Besides, the Org Tree's like this:

Boss
|
|
Me ---- "Shelley" ---- "Delores" ---- AN Other ---- Andy Nuther...etc.
|
|
My Dog

Some of those folks are crusty curmudgeons who have been in the Company since it thawed from the last Ice Age, while others are 19, with a bullet, and helping others is not in their career plan.

Oh how I long for the days when just yelling "WITH A JUMP, FEET TOGETHER - PLACE!!" was enough

Chris

If yer see a Rook on 'is own, im's a Crow. If yer sees a flock o' Crows, them's Rooks - My Uncle Cecil

 

[MeGustaXL]

I could try Approach #4

Boss: This place is a right tip! - get it sorted before the MD comes round!

Me: Look Jack*, you're the Boss - you tell 'em! My orderin' days is over!

Trouble is, I my job very much, and would if I got fired!

* Her name is Jacqueline, but she likes to be called 'Jack' - that's the kind of Right-On Sister she is.

 

[sha76]

Sorry, think you're going to have to scrape together that doughnut money! (or ask Jack for it!) How about: "Look, I know we're all busy, but I want us all to stop for half an hour & get this place tidy so we don't get it in the neck from the boss." <general groaning all round> "There's doughnuts for when we've done" <grumbling acquiescence>.
Personally I would make sure it's an "us", not a "you lot" on this one, you'll get more respect for interrupting your own work to help out with the crap jobs, rather than just expecting everyone else to.

"Your rock is eroding wrong." -Dogbert

 

[SilentAiche]

There's always this:

"But Doc, we've been cleaning for six hours! You should've seen it before!"

No, wait. You said something about liking your job...

tim

[purple]__________________________________
[small] "Attention to health is life's greatest hindrance." - Plato

"Plato was a bore." - Friedrich Nietzsche

"Nietzsche was stupid and abnormal." -Leo Tolstoy [/small][/Purple]

 

[DirkStruan]

I wondering whether you (individually) were asked to get it sorted or it was to you all collectively?

If it is the former then I guess its down to you and Jack has decided that of all the projects currently being worked on, yours is the least important and so you're on cleaning duty. You can only do what one man can do so she'll have to live with the results, or order more people onto the task next time.

If it is the latter, try to round a few people up and when you fail as you expect tell Jack it will only be slightly less of a tip as you are doing it by yourself. However, if she'd like to give you a promotion (with the necessary pay rise for the greater responsibility you are taking) you will happily solve her problem for her by exercising your new authority to get a full clean-up crew organised so the place will be spotless by 3pm. (The crew will mainly be made up of the 19 yr olds to teach them some humility and teamwork - they have to learn their place in the world order after all!). Then with your higher income you should then be able to get the doughnuts in every once in a while.


Dirk

Everything useful perishes through use....Should I not rejoice at being useless?

 

[ESquared]

Dirk hit somewhat on what I was thinking... responsibility without authority is a recipe for disaster. Of course one should never give an order that won't be followed (which undermines whatever authority one has) but at the same time, without some kind of big stick in your hand so you can just give people orders, all you have left is persuasion.

Does your boss expect you to do it or does he expect everyone to pitch in? Perhaps you could clarify that with him. Have you tested the waters to see what happens if the place is still messy when the MD comes? Something like, you told everyone to clean up after themselves then went for a meeting or to lunch or the dentist or something, excusing you from not having done it yourself?

And have you considered hiring a cleaning person, who probably will cost less per hour than anyone else on your staff? You could approach your boss on how expensive you are as an X$ per hour cleaning person, and you'd really rather be doing important projects Y and Z, and what does he think about a regular person to do it?

Or just tell him the price of cleanliness: pizza or doughnuts or some kind of big stick he can give you to whack people with who don't help. Although I like the part about using the 19-year-olds.

E

PS I'm not that familiar with British slang, assuming that's what it is. So I take it "right tip" means very messy and MD means medical doctor?

 

[MeGustaXL]

Thank you, Thank you all for your ideas and guidance - Mwah!

Actually, the 'Tidying Up' scenario was just an example of the sort of situation I'm faced with; it could just as easily be, errrmm.. getting everyone's input for a group presentation in on time to do the PPT slides, or any time there are Group Orders from 'On High' to pass on.

I like sha76's approach, which combines a nice "We're all in this together" spirit with ingratiation by bribery and coercion!

ESquared: "Right Tip" = Very Untidy, A Midden, Too Cluttered For Words, A Mess.

"MD" = Managing Director

Peace and Love,

Chris

 

[KenCunningham]

Your 'right tip' interpretation is correct, but MD is probably 'Managing Director' in this context. 'Medical Doctors' are usually referred to as 'General Practitioners' or GPs.

I don't mind people who aren't what they seem. I just wish they'd make their mind up.

 

[MeGustaXL]

Thanks everybody for finding me a ‘Magic Wand’ - Applause all round!

I had to take them all through a ‘specially boring process, gaining their ‘Expert Opinion’ along the way.
Now, I knew this was going to take up to 2 hours and get into ‘the weeds’ of my specialised subject.
Rather than have them all slump in their seats and give me any old guesswork in lieu of proper answers, I booked the lightest, airiest meeting room I could, and forked out for Catering to lay on Coffee and Biscuits
( NB: Biscuits = Cookies <> Fluffy Doughy Bread )

Result: Full engagement from all, really useful data, and promises to take a deeper interest in ‘my’ subject wrt integration with ‘theirs’ ! Could Not Be Happier

I Tek-Tippers to bits!


Chris

If yer see a Rook on 'is own, im's a Crow. If yer sees a flock o' Crows, them's Rooks - My Uncle Cecil

 

[sha76]

Ooh, well done!

"Your rock is eroding wrong." -Dogbert

 

[Sympology]

Semi automatic pointed at the culprits head. Works a treat....

Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004

 

[MeGustaXL]

Semi automatic pointed at the culprits head

Don't have access to the tools now I'm no longer in the Mob...see above

Besides, Bikkies cost less than Bangsticks!

Chris

If yer see a Rook on 'is own, im's a Crow. If yer sees a flock o' Crows, them's Rooks - My Uncle Cecil

 

[Ladyazh]

With a structure like this
Boss
|
|
Me ---- "Shelley" ---- "Delores" ---- AN Other ---- Andy Nuther...etc.
|
|
My Dog

I think you can only 'tell' your dog...

And why Out of
Me ---- "Shelley" ---- "Delores" ---- AN Other ---- Andy Nuther...etc.
you are the only one who cares?

I though of you giving them hour early departure but seems like you are non autorized to do so either?

I would probably just clean up if i was so in love with my job. Really WHY you are the 1 who cares? And nobody else?

 

[MeGustaXL]

Hi Ladyazh, and thanks for caring!

It's more a case of us all being equally responsible for how the Company performs; and so we are all authorised to ask each other to help with things like cleaning up, providing input to each other's reports, briefing management on progress and so on.

It isn't just about what the job is, specifically, more a general thing of how to get a bunch of people to do something that doesn't help them straight away.

Like I say, when I was in the Air Force, I would just tell them and they'd do it without question. Civilians are less obedient and more inclined to ask my Dad's 2nd question: "What's in it for me?"

Why do I care? Because I want us all to get along like sensible professionals, without any of the "Sorry mate, that's not my job" attitude that plagues other workplaces.

BTW, even at home it's my dog that really calls the shots!