Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Pulling information from colleagues can sometimes seem like pulling teeth.

Why don’t they tell me what they are doing?

Because “they” can’t read “my” mind. They don’t know what I feel is important today, what my boss is pinging on me for today. I have to ask. I have to pull the information
AND YES, sometimes it feels like pulling teeth—a figure of speech as I have never pulled a tooth and don’t really know how difficult it is. It sounds painful to all involved, and in the case of information pulling, it is painful for all involved.

To make it a little less gruesome than pulling a tooth, tell the other person, “This is painful for me and I guess it is painful for you as well, but we have to do this. The persons who pay the bills want this, so let’s give it to them as quickly and faithfully and fully as we can and we can get on with what it is we think is important.”