Someone dragging their feet completing a task you need to move your project forward? Here’s a case study for using Emotional Intelligence to get what you need when managing a project without throwing anyone under the bus.
A project team member, let’s call her Laverne, was having difficulty getting someone in the organization to provide her with data. The person she reached out to wasn’t returning her calls or emails. I wondered who else could provide this information. “No one,” says Laverne. Me? I doubted that. When I was 7 years old, Dad told me, “Everyone who is considered indispensable eventually dies.”
I don’t micromanage projects. I trust adults with the expertise I’ll never have to do what needs doing.
My role? Support; ease the path so they can freely apply their skills.
This is why I did not share Dad’s “no one is indispensable” philosophy. Philosophical discussions at this juncture would not have served the project.
My singular goal: help Laverne get the information she needed. Without it, the project-completion dominoes remained still.
Trust Me
I had a productive working relationship with the AWOL employee’s department V.P. who was authentic and accessible. Instinct suggested were he in his office, the door would be open. “Laverne,” I said, “Let’s take a walk.”
Laverne hesitated. Did she really think I was escorting her down the plank to throw the deserter overboard in her name? “Please,” I assured my quaking colleague, “trust me.”
I rapped on the open door. The veep looked up, smiled, and waved us in. I said, “You know Laverne, don’t you?” He offered seats opposite his desk. After a brief exchange relevant to his world and one we had created on another project, I related Laverne’s business problem. No mention of the woman on his team who’d gone mute. Before I could finish describing what Laverne needed, my favorite veep offered the woman’s name. Laverne said, “I called her…”
He raised his eyebrows.
“And I left a message…” Laverne began.
My favorite veep reached for the desk phone. Placed it on speaker. If the woman was near the phone she’d see the LCD display and the person calling: her boss twice removed. She picked up, middle of the second ring.
My favorite veep: “I have Laverne and Gina here…” An outstanding listener, he succinctly stated our need.
Laverne chimed in. This was her gig and she knew her job. I hadn’t a clue about the particulars. The three held an impromptu meeting in my favorite veep’s office, the door to which remained open. I deliberately didn’t close it to send two messages:
To my favorite veep: we are not camped for the day. As soon as we finish the business at hand, we’re outta here.
To Laverne: This is clean, transparent business we’re conducting
Toward conversation end, I leaned into the phone as I turned toward my project team member. Before this moment I’d been silent. Then, “Just to clarify, Laverne, do you have what you need?” She followed her definitive “yes” with a wrap-up comment on timing to the voice on speakerphone. My favorite veep thanked the woman then disconnected the call. I stood up, thanked the veep, who smiled. Laverne and I left.
In the elevator on the way back to our offices, Laverne turned to me and said, “That was impressive.”
I grinned. “See? And nobody got hurt.”
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