October 30, 2007Success Story: Getting the boss to respond
I made an appointment with my supervisor and specifically asked him “You haven’t been responding to my e-mails or phone messages. Is there something I’ve done to offend you?”
He replied that he was not offended, he has just been very busy. I stated that when I ask for his opinion on matters it’s because he is knowledgeable and I respect his input. He replied that he wasn’t ignoring me, he was just overwhelmed.
I recanted that he was indeed ignoring me and I felt my questions were valid and deserved recognition. He agreed and said he would be more responsive in the future. I also asked that if there was something I could do to help ease his work load that I would be happy to assist.
My last e-mail was answered in a timely manner. I can only assume those in the future will be as well.
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If I were your supervisor, I’d be offended by what you describe here: “I recanted that he was indeed ignoring me.” People do get busy and overwhelmed, and sometimes e-mails don’t get handled in a timely manner. Offering to help with the supervisor’s workload was a good gesture, but you might also have asked if there is a better way to communicate with the supervisor to ensure a timely response, such as a phone call, or a phone call to highlight an e-mail that’s waiting for a response.
Comment by Maryellen — October 30, 2007 @ 11:57 am
Comment #2 - Sorry, I just re-read the article and see that phone calls were also attempted. But I’d still ask the supervisor how you should communicate with him if you need a timely response.
Comment by Maryellen — October 30, 2007 @ 12:10 pm
Small point to clarify the meaning of “recant”: To reject a belief or withdraw something previously said. Perhaps the writer meant “reiterate.”
Comment by claire — November 7, 2007 @ 10:35 am