Stripes and Bars AMAURY MURGADO
THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT To efficiently manage time, move on after a few documented attempts to obtain a response. AS A SUPERVISOR you are used to managing resources. You could order him to do anything. The best I could do was keep manage time, money, equipment, and personnel. And yet, him informed and remind him I needed the confirmation you forget that you are as valuable a resource as any other. for any of the three dates I supplied. Needless to say, the projected window of opportunity The fact that your time means as much as anyone else's is something often lost on others. It's up to you to stop enabling came and went. A few weeks after, the captain strolled into them to waste your time. Having learned the hard way, I cre- my office to ask me about the photo shoot. I told him I had ated a "three strikes and you're out" rule that has helped me no new information as I was waiting to hear back from him as to what dates the sheriff could attend. I reminded him manage my time more efficiently. My method is really simple. When working on a project or the supplied dates had already come and gone. He was not tasking, I attempt to obtain a response from someone with a happy camper. I reminded him that we had spoken in person, we had one personal meeting, one phone call, and one e-mail. If you haven't responded to me by then, I document my attempts at spoken over the telephone, and I had sent him an e-mail seeking your cooperation and move on. It's my "If it's not im- asking for conformation of any of the three dates I had obportant to you, it's not important to me" axiom. Let me give tained. He expressed his displeasure and left my office. I never heard back on the matter other than you an example. I FOLLOW MY that the photo shoot took place a month later Back in the day, I was given the task of setafter the sheriff's secretary made the appointting up a photo shoot showing our then sheriff "IF IT'S NOT helping with our county's Meals on Wheels IMPORTANT TO ment herself. I warn you, this is not a popular move beprogram. It was a yearly thing where this YOU, IT'S NOT cause it holds people accountable for their acsheriff went out, handed out a few meals, took IMPORTANT tions. It works because it's hard for someone to some publicity pictures, and then went about TO ME" AXIOM. argue when you can show that you tried three his business. Being a yearly thing, I thought different times and in three different ways to it would be an easy task to complete. I had no get the task done. If someone refuses to coopidea it was going to be so hard to nail the sheriff down to a date and time. You would think I was calling erate with you it's on that person. The upside is once people understand how you work, they start respecting your time. the Vatican and trying to get an audience with the Pope. I was supplied a target month and I called our local Coun- They realize you force them to have skin in the game. There are two important points, however, that you need cil on Aging, which ran the program. I obtained from them three different possible dates within the target month and to keep in mind if you are going to adopt this methodology reported back to my captain within the hour. I figured I had for yourself. First, always keep your chain of command inplenty of time to set this up because we were two months formed as to your progress. This gives them the opportunity out. I couldn't have been more wrong, as the dates came and to help if need be and it's something for you to document if they don't. Second, try not to tell your supervisor, "If it's went with no answer. When the captain didn't get back to me after a week not important to you, it's not important to me." Experience (strike one), I called him to remind him. He told me he had has taught me that it's like rubbing salt into a wound when been busy and he would work on it. I thanked him for his it turns out the supervisor was the one who dropped that time and went about my business. A week later, I still hadn't ball. Fun as it might be to say, it seldom helps your cause. heard back (strike two), so I sent the captain a reminder email. I know he opened it because I always track my e-mails Amaury Murgado retired a senior lieutenant from the Osceoand copy myself on the important ones. If I received the e- la County Sheriff's Office (Florida) with over 29 years of exmail, so did he. After another week of not hearing anything perience. He also retired from the Army Reserve as a master back from him (strike three), I moved on. sergeant. He holds a Master of Political Science degree from Remember, the captain outranked me so it was not like I the University of Central Florida.
J
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POLICE APRIL 2016