How to get work done from others?
There is this popular saying, “If you want to know someone’s true face, do not consider how he treats his equals, rather observe how he treats his subordinates” and how true it is!
We all are born equal in this world, but life presents us with diverse situations and opportunities and that determines who we are. There are people who create opportunities for themselves when there is none and on the other side, there are those who fail to recognise an opportunity even if it’s presented before them. No judging here, we all have our own stories and reasons.
What doesn’t change here is the fact that we are all completely inter-dependent. Imagine a world where each individual has to sow his own seeds, grow his plants, harvest them, cook them for his food, stitch his own clothes, build his own shelter and create his own transport. It would be a world of completely independent people, but the hard fact is, not many of us can excel in such a world. Some people are extremely talented by genes while some work really hard to acquire the necessary skills. Amidst them are the majority of us, who are extremely good at a couple of things, while bad at doing the rest. All five fingers of the hand just can’t be same! So, such a world would not be optimised for efficiency. Such a world would need a 1000 times the duration that our current world took to reach where we are. In short, we are all dependent and that’s what makes our growth enormous.
So, in this highly dependent environment, we all are running different races, with a variety of goals. We are all very different people running towards different things, with extremely varied opinions, tastes and skills. Amidst this pool, it is important to make the best use of others to enhance our personal and collective growth. Yes, you read that right. We all use others at one or other point of time and this is just natural, we don’t have to feel bad about it. Here comes our topic, how to efficiently use our peers to achieve our goals? How to make the best use of their skills and propagate towards our goal in harmony? How to actually convince them to work/contribute to our goal? That’s the biggest challenge here. If you know how to get work done by others for you, you are the King here.
Let us approach this problem from our peer’s perspective. If someone wants you to do something for them with or without returns, what would you necessarily want from them? This need can be classified into two: material and immaterial. For most of us, the immaterial things come first without us even realising it. Yes, if I have to help someone, the most important thing I expect from them is some respect for me and my skill, some sort of accreditation. And I would want to feel comfortable in their presence. How is this achieved? By having a good rapport/bond with them. I would not be willing to work for someone who fumes with anger and harsh words everyday even if they promise to give me the world! Some good vibes is something that is necessary for me to work with/for them. This includes the way they address me, the kind of respect they show to me in front of others, the little gestures that essentially show that they value me and my work. Without that, none of us would be able to sustain. And sustainability is the key to success and growth.
Material expectations are widely varied. But the immaterial expectations remain the same: some respect and the feeling of being valued. That would give us a sense of peace, security and all the confidence that is needed to work. This is essentially the same with everyone.
Coming back to our second person perspective, that’s the most essential thing you have to give your subordinates to get work done effectively: respect and value. How do we give them those? A small smile could brighten up the mood, because that means you respect them! You need not gift them pricey stuff, just show some basic concern, see them as fellow humans and not just your subordinates. Treat them as you would treat any equal. Think for them, think from their perspective before complaining. It would be difficult at first, but once you are able to put yourself in their shoes and think what you would need if you are in their place, it all becomes simple and crystal clear.
Here’s the rule of thumb that essentially holds the whole work dimension:
Appreciate as much as you criticise
Yes, if criticising and pointing out mistakes is an important part of getting work done the way you want it done, then appreciation is even more important. Appreciate every single effort, every single improvement and every little step towards the goal. Because criticism is not handled the same by all, but appreciation is. If criticism begets improvement because you want it, appreciation begets improvement because they want to give it to you. Appreciation will create a huge respect and loyalty towards you, that’s basic human trait. The more you appreciate, the more grateful your subordinate would feel. This gratefulness would translate to loyalty and it could one day save you when in need!
Appreciation is actually much undervalued in the present day. Your appreciation could really make someone’s day and even change their perspective of you! They wouldn’t feel used, they would actually feel valued and that is the key to getting work done. Use this one tool effectively to see the magic unravel in your workspace! Good luck:)
