Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

It is often the case that you accomplish more work by attempting less work. At the same time, you can be a pretty decent person.

Several years ago, I worked as the technical lead overseeing government contracts. I worked with a Contracting Officer (CO), who monitored the legal aspects of the contracts.

On one occasion, the CO with whom I worked transferred to a different job. It was about a month before her replacement arrived. Her arrival date was announced and I, along with the dozen other engineers who were to work on contracts with her, was quite anxious to begin work.

On the morning of her arrival, the dozen other engineers pushed their way into her office, dropped large piles of heavy folders on her desk, and told her to get right to work or the world, and her job, would come to a horrific end.

About the middle of the morning, after the rush ended, I knocked on her door, entered with a smile, and said something like, “I’m Dwayne Phillips. We’ll be working together on the big ABC contract. Welcome. As a token of welcome here are some flowers and a box of chocolates. I’ll be back in a few days after you’ve had time to settle in and we can talk about the work.”

Needless to write, she worked on my contract before she worked on anyone else’s.

Flowers and chocolate may not be appropriate in your situation. Find something else that expresses a better perspective on what is happening. Working slower and less usually accomplishes more work. Being a decent person always helps.