"Sorry, I know you are very busy..."
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"Not to be constantly telling people (or writing them) that I'm busy, unless I really am. Similarly, not to be always ducking responsibilities to the people around me because of 'pressing business'" - Marcus Aurelius (Meditations)
It unnerves me when conversations start with a tentative: "Sorry, I know you are very busy, but I wanted to ask..."
It unnerves me because these conversations represent a perception that my time is somehow more valuable than that of the person in need of my input or assistance. It concerns me as it implies there are things requiring my attention, or areas where I may be of help, that are being swept under the rug or unnecessarily delayed so as to "not bother me".
Ironically, being thoughtful and considerate of my time and not telling me about problems I could help solve prevents me from doing my job well.
My job is to provide the best possible environment for my teams to do their jobs, which includes unblocking them and helping individuals navigate work or career challenges.
The fact is, everyone is busy, sometimes to the point of having more on your plate than what is comfortable, and you have a right to your manager's time.
Here is my recommendation on how to lay claim to that time (assuming it isn't immediately pressing):
If it's a trivial decision or request, send a DM via your internal messaging system (Slack, MS Teams, whichever). Channels or team chats become flooded, are hard to track and even harder to catch up on, but your line manager should be checking their direct comms a few times a day/daily at the very least.
If multiple people are involved, a conversation is needed, and the issue can be resolved via asynchronous means, create a dedicated short-lived channel or group to discuss the topic, or send an email (don't use cc gratuitously but do include action-takers). I find emails slightly easier to categorise and archive as "decision logs", but summarising a chat to share and store for reference via other means serve the same purpose.
If it requires discussion or is personal, find a slot in your manager's calendar and book it. I often see people asking via email or chat if they can book an open space. This is what your calendar's scheduling assistant is for, so use it. If you cannot find a slot, ask your manager via DM to make time available to you.
Suffering in silence serves nobody. The sooner an issue is made visible, the sooner it can be resolved.
Keep at it!
William
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