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Years ago, I had a co-worker who needed my help to finish a project that (1) he was leading but (2) it would also help my team. “Sure,” I said, “just find me tomorrow and I’ll show you how to do it.”
The next day came and went. He never found me.
Later, when he was asked about the project, he sighed and said he hadn’t gotten it done. He asked if I could help him later.
“Dude, you were supposed to find me,” I told him sharply.
“I know…” he said. “I was just busy…sometimes if you want someone to do something, you have to go above and beyond.”
I exploded. “Listen, if you need my help, you need to find me — not the other way around.”
Then he said something I’ll never forget: “Technically, you’re right. But you have to decide if you want to be right…or you want this to get done.”
Is he right? How would you respond?
This isn’t just about co-workers, by the way. This situation opened my eyes to an unexpected twist of persuasion that I use to this day.
