Too busy or too lazy?

What would you do if a leader or program lead told you she was too busy to invest a couple of hours in reading and understanding conversational data from her employees?

I did the wrong thing. I did the analysis for her.

Yesterday she gave me this feedback:

"You let me be too lazy."

She was grateful for the insights I had drawn from her employees' questions and answers, but she didn't "feel" the insights and she didn't intend to act on them.

I was furious.

Not at her, but at myself.

I should have known better.

You cannot get the insight if you are not willing to do the work. I know that. Reading. Thinking. Understanding. It takes time.

And if a leader or program lead is too busy to invest that time, I'm wasting my time trying to do it for her.

But worst of all:

If a leader asks her employees to exchange questions and answers on a topic she's responsible for without taking the time to read and understand their input, she is wasting THEIR time.

And that's the exact opposite of what any of us want!

So, I need your help: What do you do when someone tells you they are too busy to do the work you know they need to do?

How do you navigate between:

Before: "I'm too busy" - and

After: "You let me be too lazy"

in a way that empowers action?

Please share your tips and tricks here.