G Ragu Review

Updated September 2026: in 2019 I wrote about a quiet week that ended with an email assigning me to support every opportunity from a team I used to work with, followed by a teammate who rarely got involved telling me what to do. I have rewritten it as a guide to handling a sudden new assignment.

For a few days I had little work. Then, out of nowhere, I received an email from a team I had worked with earlier. I was now assigned to support all of their opportunities, and the email included a complicated request that would take real time. I also wanted to check with the delivery lead I had worked with before. While I was preparing, another teammate asked me to do some work and send a background email on the opportunity. His approach was reasonable, but I was irritated, because he did not usually get involved in these requests.

What should you do in the first hour of a new assignment?

• Read the request twice and list what is actually being asked.
• Confirm the assignment with your manager, including how long it lasts and what it replaces.
• Find the deadline and who owns the overall response.
• Identify who you need, such as a delivery lead who handled similar requests.

Why does unexpected direction from a peer feel irritating?

Because it is unclear where it comes from. When someone who is not normally involved starts giving instructions, you wonder whether they were asked to, or whether they are taking over. The irritation is usually about unclear roles, not the instruction itself.

How should you respond to a teammate's instructions?

Judge the request on its merits. If it is sensible, as sending a background email often is, do it. Then ask a simple question: "Are you working on this opportunity too, so I know who to keep in the loop?" That clarifies roles without an argument.

How do you avoid being swamped by a whole team's requests?

Agree a way of working early. Ask the team to send requests through one contact, with a deadline and a clear scope. Keep a simple tracker of open requests and share it weekly with your manager, so everyone can see your load before it becomes a problem.

Is it worth reconnecting with old contacts?

Yes. A delivery lead who handled similar work before can save you days, even if you did not always get along. Ask for specific help, such as a previous response you can adapt.

Keep reading

• Helping Your Old Team? Tell Your Manager First
• Said Yes Too Fast at Work? How to Weigh a Request
• When Your Only Teammate Leaves: How to Cope and Plan

Updated September 2026: in 2019 I wrote about a review where the offshore lead shared a slide from his repository, and the onsite contact later told me my version was better and would be the one used. I have rewritten it as a guide to building slides that reviewers choose.

During the review, the onsite delivery lead asked for a specific slide. The offshore lead searched his repository, shared one with the team and explained why it mattered. Everyone agreed it was important and we moved on to the rest of the deck. Later, while I was making small tweaks, the onsite contact called me onto the bridge. He said my slide was far better than the one the offshore lead had shared and that he would use mine. The opportunity closed soon after.

Why do some slides get chosen over others?

Usually because they answer the client's question directly. A generic slide from a repository explains your company. A slide built around the client's requirement explains why your solution fits them. Reviewers under time pressure pick the second one.

What makes a proposal slide work?

• A headline that states the point, not just the topic.
• The client's own terms, taken from their questionnaire or brief.
• One idea per slide, with detail moved to an appendix.
• A clear visual, such as a simple diagram, instead of dense text.
• Consistent formatting with the rest of the deck.

How should you use a slide repository?

As a starting point. Pull the closest slide, then rewrite the headline and content for this client. A repository saves time on layout and standard facts, but a slide used unchanged often looks like one.

How do you handle it when your work is preferred?

Quietly. There is no need to point out that your version replaced a colleague's. Offer to merge the best parts of both, and share your template so others can reuse it. That builds goodwill with the colleague you will work with on the next deal.

What should you do after the deal closes?

Add the winning slide to the repository with a note on what made it work, and remove older versions that no longer help. A tidy repository makes the next deck faster.

Keep reading

• Caught Between Your Manager and the Client Team
• After a Good Kickoff: Keeping Project Scope in Check
• Said Yes Too Fast at Work? How to Weigh a Request

Updated September 2026: in 2019 I wrote about hearing that my only teammate was moving to another team within days, just as my own promotion was due. I have rewritten it as a guide to coping when a close colleague leaves and planning your own next steps calmly.

When my teammate told me she was leaving to join a new team, and would move within a few days, I could not take it in. I was shocked, and worried that I would be alone in the team. My first thought was to look for a new job or team myself. But my promotion was due at any time, and moving would have felt like pressing a reset button on my career. So I calmed down, spent a few hours remembering the good times we had, and accepted that everyone wants to grow and life has to move on.

Why does a teammate leaving hit so hard?

You lose more than a colleague. You lose the person who covered for you, knew the history of every request and made long days easier. The workload question comes straight after: who will pick up what she did?

Should you leave too?

Not in the first week. Decisions made in shock are rarely good ones. Ask yourself what has actually changed. If your role, manager and prospects are the same, and something like a promotion is close, staying for a few more months often makes sense. If her leaving exposes a deeper problem with the team, start planning, but on your own timeline.

What should you do before she moves?

• Get a proper handover of her open work, contacts and files.
• Write down what only she knew, such as client preferences and where things are stored.
• Agree how to reach her for occasional questions in her new team.
• Talk to your manager about how her work will be covered and whether a replacement is planned.

How do you avoid being overloaded afterwards?

Make the extra load visible. List what you now carry and ask your manager to set priorities. Doing everything quietly may look loyal, but it hides the gap and delays any hire.

Is it worth staying in touch?

Yes. A former teammate in another part of the company is a useful contact, and sometimes a route to your own next move when you are ready for it.

Keep reading

• Assigned to a New Team Overnight: First Steps
• Helping Your Old Team? Tell Your Manager First
• Said Yes Too Fast at Work? How to Weigh a Request

Updated September 2026: in 2019 I wrote about a quiet week on a new opportunity that turned busy when the client answered its questionnaire and I agreed, without thinking, to another tight-deadline phase for a team I found difficult. I have rewritten it as a guide to weighing a request before saying yes.

The onsite delivery team had asked for our standard solution components, and the offshore lead wanted a standard solution deck. Because I was already collecting documents for my whole team, this took me only a few minutes. For a few days after that I had little to do. Then the client responded to the questionnaire, and the same team asked me to complete another phase on a tight deadline. I said yes straight away, thinking it would close in a few days. It did not, and I soon realised it was a bad move.

Why do people say yes too quickly at work?

A quiet spell makes any request feel small. You want to look helpful, the person asking sounds confident about the timeline, and saying no feels awkward. The cost only shows up later, when the "few days" becomes weeks and your other work starts to slip.

What should you ask before agreeing?

• What exactly is the deliverable? Ask for a list, not a description.
• When is it due, and who set that date? A deadline set by the client is harder to move than one set internally.
• What changed? If the client has just responded, expect new questions and rework.
• Who else is working on it? Find out whether you are supporting or carrying the phase.
• What happens to your current work? Name what will be delayed if you take this on.

How do you say yes with limits?

You do not have to refuse. Try a conditional yes: "I can take the pricing section by Thursday, but not the full phase." Or ask for a day to look at the requirements before committing. Both keep the relationship intact while protecting your time.

What if you have already said yes?

Go back early. Once you see the real size of the work, tell the requester and your manager what you can finish and by when. Resetting expectations in the first days is much easier than explaining a missed deadline at the end.

Is a quiet week a warning sign?

Not by itself, but it is a good time to prepare. Tidy your templates, update your standard decks and note which opportunities might return. When the next request arrives, you will be quicker and better placed to judge how long it will really take.

Keep reading

• Helping Your Old Team? Tell Your Manager First
• Assigned to a New Team Overnight: First Steps
• Caught Between Your Manager and the Client Team