Pestered into action
Grace reluctantly waiting for her dinner, probably an unwarranted punishment I inflicted upon her for having pestered me for it.
Have you ever been pestered enough that you do something that you wouldn’t ordinarily do?
That just happened to me. For the last 30 minutes while trying to work, Grace has been whining and pawing at my chair. It’s almost an hour before her normal dinner time. And sometimes she does get antsy when it gets near that time of day.
So my patience gave way and I got up to put food in her dish. Then I caught myself. Wait. What am I doing? How come she is calling the shots here?
Since I had already poured the food out, I figured I couldn’t stop the process. But I decided to make her work a little harder for it. I put her at a sit-down-stay where I normally do, but for several minutes instead of our usual 15 seconds. She made me feel like I was torturing her. She sat, but gave me a look of total annoyance at this game.
Grace was not too keen on Dodger coming this close, but she dutifully stayed as I had asked her to.
I figured it would deepen her sense of discipline. Whether it did or didn’t, it made me feel better. She also had to endure her inquisitive feline brother walking by, taunting her, as if to say, “I don’t have to sit there waiting for my dinner. Haha!” After about five minutes, I figured she had endured enough and gave the ‘ok’ sign. She ate happily.
Why does someone feel the need to pester? When they aren’t being heard. If they don’t get a response, they’ll try again. And again. And again. The more important it is, the more frequent and the louder the pestering becomes.
So if you’re feeling like you’re being asked to do the same thing over and over and over again, make sure your response, whether through words or actions, is loud and visible enough for the other person to understand. You don’t necessarily have to do what is being asked, but you should respond with your intentions. Provide a reason why you can or can’t do what they want. And if it’s not a simple request, offer a plan of action, including a timeline, to see it through to resolution.
Instead of feeling like you’re being bullied into something, ask the person to sit and stay and talk about it. I think they will like that more than Grace did.
Smart Tips Served Straight to Your Inbox
Want to build healthy, productive workplace relationships??? Join our community of Graceful Leaders/Managers and get access to tips, insights, and resources right in your inbox.
BONUS: Sign up now and receive a FREE animal-inspired gift: “3 Management Tips from Dog!"
Share with a friend using one of the buttons below. Then sign up so you can receive stories, tips, and guidance to help you develop healthy workplace relationships in your organization!
It’s hard to resist sometimes, but you’re right. Give in once….
You are right! I have an awful time saying no to Grace’s adorable face. And of course, she knows that.
How did I not know that you have a blog? I would have subscribed long ago, had I known!! I can’t wait to read all entries and learn more about you and Grace. I love meeting Dodger too. Have a great week!
LeeAnn — I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to see you here! I even feel a bit nervous about whether you’ll like my blog or not! I have always felt that blog reading here should be voluntary, and not based on a sense of obligation because I read someone else’s blog. As much as I have come to enjoy, learn from, and respect you and your blog, I hope this is at least a fraction of that experience to you. Thank you for finding me and Grace!
Oh, George is a master of pestering people and has got a wide repertoir of techniques: whining, poking, jumping up, more whining…If none of these work, he’ll put his head on my lap or, even better, on my elbow (the ‘advantage’ of having a tallish dog) to stop me from typing and make me look at him. Sometimes he wants food, at other times he wants to play or just a bit of attention…Sometimes I give in, sometimes I don’t. It’s hard to resist them when they’re so cute, isn’t it? 🙂
He does sound like a master — and yes, so hard to ignore when they are adorable and you love them so much.