Teachable Moments: Managing Your Workload

Frank P. Saladis, PMP, is a Consultant and Instructor/Facilitator within the project management profession. He is a senior trainer and consultant for IIL and has conducted numerous project management training seminars domestically and internationally. He has been a featured presenter at the Project Management Institute Annual Symposiums and World Congresses as well as many other project management events. Mr. Saladis is a graduate of the PMI Leadership Institute Masters Class and has held several positions within the Project Management Institute.

 

Teachable moments are formed when you have done something--regardless of the outcome--and learned from the experience. Learning makes us better at what we do and provides a great opportunity to develop others and sharpen skills. We’ve compiled our best Teachable Moments from our community members for you to learn from and share with other project managers.

A project manager came up to me during a break in a two-day program. He said he was overwhelmed with work and was struggling to keep up. His manager approached him with a new project that was relatively important and somewhat complex. The project manager responded to the manager, “I can’t do this.” The manager interpreted his response as a matter of capability and inability--and reflected that assessment on the project manager’s performance appraisal.

The way in which you respond to your manager is an important issue to consider. Instead of responding quickly with “I can’t do this”, consider saying this instead: “I understand this is an important project, but I have a very full workload. Which project would you like me to set aside so I can take on this project?”

Managers have to assume some responsibility for workload decisions and assignments. Discuss expectations with your manager. Share workload issues and suggest a possible solution…

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