Part of the daily routine of most executives is to spend a period of time with his or her assistant, going over projects, dictating letters, discussing appointments to be made etc. It is easy to forget the niceties of human relations that make these meetings more pleasant when they occur daily, but shouting, "Brian! Come in here!" or running through the litany of things to do without a smile is inexcusable.
At a meeting of project managers, saying "Susan, the Kraus project needs some attention----do you think you could fit it into your schedule within the next two days? shows acknowledgment that Susan has a schedule and again makes a request out of your order.
By making these requests " you" rather than "I" statements or questions, you are implying that Brian or Susan have a participatory place in the process. If you said, " I want you to come in here……" " I want you to work on the Kraus project." The tone of your request would be very different.
