If you want something done, give it to a busy person

Why have I said this to you?

Because, the person who is normally asked to do something, is usually, the most effective person within the team, project or organisation.

I have known a lot of people who have enjoyed such privileged status - Haven’t you?

Such people are usually fully committed and effective.

One such person once surprises me, his boss and even himself.

He made an excuse not to except an invitation to do a particularly important and demanding task.

Which was most unusual, as he would normally be more than willing to accept any challenge put to him? He had a reputation for willingness and to accept and perform any task.

But on this particular occasion he surprised us all by saying “NO”, and he went on to say “I have another equally important project to complete”.

So, Why the change?

Well when, in confidence, I asked him “why the change of attitude”.

He said “I can only be fully supportive if I believe that the request has been made of me in good faith”.

In other words he was saying “yes I’m a busy person and normally I am happy to help out, but if these sorts of requests are not handed out on a fair and equitable basis, eventually even the most committed and supportive of us will eventually say “NO”!

So be careful when you ask a busy person to do something!

It would appear that once requests become the norm i.e. ‘give it to Fred or Mary to sort’ it undermines, devalues and reduces the willingness of busy and effective people the respond positively.

LOTS OF PEOPLE CONFUSE ACTIVITY WITH ACCOMPLISHMENT

He never stops working. He starts every day at about 5:30 am and and goes ‘hell for leather’ all day long, every day!

Sadly he doesn’t seem to ever meet his targets and often lets people down.

That’s not very productive or satisfying, is it?

I have often told him that he needs to be less focused on getting stuff out of the door and be more focused on working through his ‘to do list’ in a more prioritised fashion.

He sadly confuses being busy with being productive.

Ever heard the phrase ‘being as busy fool’?

My mother always said “less haste more speed”!

So, if you are, or any of your colleagues appear to be confusing activity with accomplishment, try to point out the error of their ways. They may not thank you for it initially, but we all need a friend who cares enough about to be able to tell us when our breath smells!

If you have bad breath, you know a man who is brave enough to tell you!