 |
|
Ask the Expert: Finding Balance Natalie Gahrmann is a success coach and owner of N-R-G Coaching Associates, a private coaching company that specializes in helping working parents achieve mastery of work and life. Her clients experience more clarity, direction and alignment while reducing stress in their busy lives.
Work OverloadAudrey writes, "I've recently been promoted to a new position, but still have to do many of my old duties. This has left me overwhelmed. Many of the tasks are not items I can delegate to staff. I wake up at night wondering how I'll get through the work, but don't want to tell my boss in case she feels I am not up to the job. What should I do?"Answer: First off, congratulations on your recent promotion (I think)! My sense is that your beliefs about what's possible and what might happen are causing you excess stress and worry. Do YOU really feel you're up for the job? If not, it's necessary that you're honest with yourself. In the end, you won't fool anyone and will be plagued with a history of poor performance. If, on the other hand, you feel capable of doing your new job (and the old one, simultaneously), what will it take to get the work done without jeopardizing the quality of the work or your personal health? Will some work need to be re-assigned? Will someone else need to be trained? Will processes need to be automated? Will you need to work day and night 365 days a year in order to accomplish the work? Begin shifting your thinking from what can't be done to what can be done and how it can be done. Communicate what you need to do your work effectively to your boss. When you go to your boss, bring several possible solutions and not just the problem. Have a number of strategies to offer. Otherwise. your fear of looking bad to your boss may wind up causing you to look bad when work is not completed on time, budget or with accuracy. I like the mantra "do-delegate-dump." When you look at the tasks that need to be accomplished, determine those which must be done by you, those (even if just a few!) that can be delegated or re-assigned to someone else, and those that really don't need to be done at all any longer. All work that remains your responsibility must be prioritized and organized. Not everything has that same relevance and urgency.
Also see:
|
|
|