One of the frequent problems I encounter from both managers and their employees is a lack of clear priorities. When this topic comes up I see eyes roll and I hear voices drop in resignation. These workers are strung out trying to manage more and more items on the ‘to do’ list. The sense of being overwhelmed permeates the conversation.
Back in the late 90’s I was a general manager for a service company. We were awarded a contract to provide a new service in another part of the country with the project kick-off just 30 days away. To meet the deadline required a total commitment by management on this one project. My boss, John Schaeffer, understood the project requirements and he allowed us to focus on just this project. He made sure that we had everything we needed. Schaeffer kept other things from getting in the way. Most importantly, he gave us permission not to do other unrelated tasks but rather give them to him to handle. As a result of the ability to focus on the new service, the project exceeded customer expectations and we were awarded more contracts.
Managers are responsible for establishing and maintaining priorities. They are accountable for sustaining the effort by safeguarding employees’ focus on the priority. To do this, managers need to say ‘no’ to other demands.
Saying ‘no’ to an additional requirement is foreign to some managers. These are the same managers who are finding themselves and their staffs pulled in too many directions. Effective managers evaluate a new requirement in light of existing priorities/ resources. When it doesn’t pan out to take on the new task, they communicate no by saying - ‘I can’t support this request at this time’; ‘We are already committed on a high priority’ or ‘Working on this new project will require me to modify work on this other priority.’ As far as being concerned about telling the boss these things, most managers want to hear the truth as it helps avoid doing something that doesn’t make sense.
An analogy for setting a priority is asking employees to do something hard, for example asking them to climb to the top of a mountain. If the manager decides that after they get half way of the mountain to tell them this is the wrong mountain (priority), expect the following reactions – anger, frustration, loss of confidence. Most critical, manager credibility takes a hit.
If something is going to be added to the pile of things to do, then something needs to come off the pile in order to free up resources for the new task. If a shift in priorities is required, the manager needs to be deliberate so employees understand the new priorities.
Saying ‘yes’ to a priority, means having to say ‘no’ to other tasks. Doing this will produce better results by focusing on the priority task.
