Intrusively Coercive or Just Plain Nagging

You have to love this. It’s brilliant. PC at its absolute best.

Last week I attended one of those business management seminars that companies send their up-and-coming business managers to, with the purpose of providing them with appropriate and practical business management tools that were not taught at their respective business management graduate schools where they, in fact, studied for a master’s degree in, wait for it….business management.

Part way through one of the afternoon sessions, entitled something like, “Peer-to-peer conflict resolution in an open-plan office setting“, one of the participants, a very articulate young manager called Seth from Bangladesh, at least that what his name-tag said when we met over a plate of what looked like a pile of mashed yeast and alfalfa sprouts during the typically rushed lunch break, asked the question, “What about nagging?”

“Nagging?” questioned Dave, one of the ever-so-well-dressed but slightly clipped in his verbal response instructors. “Nagging?” he repeated. “Yes, how do I resolve being nagged at work?” Seth re-iterated.

“I am glad you brought this up, Seth“, Dave continued. “We like to refer to this as being Intrusively Coercive“.

What?

That got me thinking right away. Hmm. “Are you intrusively coercing me my dear, or just being a nag?”

Are You a Nag or an Intrusive Coercer? I actually like the term Intrusive Coercer, sounds little romantic don’t you think, or even a bit mysterious, “Hi, I’m an Intrusive Coercer.” I can just see it now. Dark walnut wood-paneled room. Fireplace. Barman, probably 70. Skinny. Polishing a glass with small starchy white towel. Purposefully. Knows everybody, seen everything. Ah, and there he is now, sporting an ever-so-slightly ill-fitting purple velvet smoking jacket, ciggy in one hand, dry martini in the other – straight-up with a twist – “Instrusive’s the name, Coercing’s my Game”.

A little nefarious maybe, but alluring nevertheless? It has a sort of obsequious magnetism (fail), it peaks your initial attention, but may not hold it for long, once you figure-out it means nothing more than to…

Force

Intimidate

Bully

Irritate

Annoy

Worry

Trouble

Torment

Irk

Disturb

Vex

Bother

Distress

Badger

Pester

Plague

Harass

Needle

Hound

Strong-arm

Or, Carp on at…

…maybe, just maybe, I’ll stay with just being Nagged, the old-fashioned way. After all, it does have an equine feel, and that can’t be that bad. If you like horses. If you don’t, it’s still just nagging.

ney-ey-ey-ey.