Alright, so you’re probably wondering about this whole business of “making a guy finish.” Sounds a bit like a magic trick, doesn’t it? Lemme tell you, from my time in the trenches, sometimes it really feels like you need a magic wand, or at least a very specific kind of know-how. It’s not always straightforward, that’s for sure.
I remember this one fella, let’s call him Gary. Nice enough guy, you know? Always smiling, always had a coffee in his hand. But getting Gary to actually complete a task, to see it through from start to finish? Man, that was like trying to nail jelly to a wall. He was a champion starter, full of big ideas and enthusiasm at the kickoff. But then, somewhere along the way, things would just… fizzle out.
We were on this project, a real tight deadline, everyone was feeling the pressure. And Gary had this critical piece, a report that everyone else was depending on. Days turned into a week, then nearly two. His part was just sitting there, gathering digital dust.
So, I did what most folks would do.
First, I tried the gentle nudge. You know, “Hey Gary, how’s that report coming along? Need any help?” He’d just give that big smile and say, “Oh yeah, almost there! Just a few more tweaks.”
Then, after a few more days of “almost there,” I tried being a bit more direct. “Gary, we really need this by end of day tomorrow, the whole team is blocked.” He’d look all serious, nod, and say, “Absolutely, you got it.” And then… nothing.
We even had our manager step in, lay down the law. Gary would look really concerned, promise to get it done. And still, that report was a ghost.
It was beyond frustrating. We were all pulling late nights, and his unfinished work was like a giant roadblock. I was racking my brain, thinking, “What on earth does it take?” I thought about yelling, I thought about escalating it even higher, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t really fix the core issue with Gary.
Then, one afternoon, I was just chatting with him by the coffee machine, not even about work. Just random stuff. And he started talking, really passionately, about this little side hobby he had – building intricate ship models. He went into detail about the patience it took, the precision, how satisfying it was to see a piece finally completed and perfect. And a lightbulb just went on in my head. This guy could finish things. He liked finishing things when he was in control and it was something he found inherently rewarding or could take personal pride in, outside the usual work pressure cooker.
So, I changed my tack. Instead of focusing on the deadline and the pressure, I went over to his desk later. I sat down, and I asked him about the report, but in a different way. I asked him, “Gary, forget the deadline for a sec. If this report was one of your models, what would make you proud to put your name on it? What’s the bit that you’d want to get absolutely perfect, the part that would make you feel like it’s truly done?”
He blinked a bit. It was a weird question, I guess. But then he started talking. He pointed out a few sections he wasn’t happy with, some data he thought could be presented better. He wasn’t being lazy; he was actually a bit of a perfectionist, but he was getting bogged down and overwhelmed, maybe even a bit scared of not meeting his own high standards for certain parts.
So, we talked through those bits. I didn’t do the work for him, but I helped him break it down, focus on those “pride points” he’d identified. I told him, “Look, just focus on making those sections something you’re really happy with. Let’s make that the goal for today.”
And you know what? It was like a switch flipped. He got this focused look, the same one he probably had when he was working on his models. He dug in. By the next morning, the report wasn’t just done; it was actually really good. He’d even added a few extra touches that made it clearer.
So, yeah. “Making a guy finish.” Sometimes it’s not about cracking the whip. Sometimes it’s about finding what actually motivates them, what makes them tick deep down. For Gary, it was appealing to his sense of craftsmanship and pride, rather than just the pressure of the clock. It doesn’t always work, and not every guy is a Gary. But it taught me that sometimes you gotta look beyond the surface. It’s a lot of trial and error, this management stuff, or even just working with people. You just try to figure folks out, one person at a time. It’s a journey, I tell ya.
