Questions to Ask Yourself Before Marking Your Request ‘Urgent’
Your colleagues will thank you (and so will your career)
Co-authored with Holly Gordon and Mike Webber
Your work doesn’t exist in a vacuum: At some point over the course of your workweek, you’ll need something from someone, or someone will need something from you. Sometimes the request is easy and your colleagues are willing to help you. Other times, people are busy and resources limited.
Communicating the level of urgency of the thing you need — and getting what you need in return — is an art. On some level, we all know this. And yet, too often, many of us forget.
The two big don’ts
We’ve all encountered that colleague who needs everything right now. Maybe you’ve even dropped everything to help that person get something done, only to find out that the “emergency” was all in his mind. Or maybe you’ve run into his polar opposite, the co-worker who doesn’t tell you that she’s overwhelmed or unable to complete a task. That is, until her deadline passes, and her lack of communication means you miss your deadline, too.
To be successful in any career, you should do your best to avoid becoming a my-problem-is-your-problem co-worker. This requires more than knowing how to…
