This month’s Business Leaders’ webinar was on
Negotiating Your Workload
If you missed it you can
Download the Podcast
or
Download whole Webinar
(which includes the presentation, and useful worksheets and templates.)
(more information below)
Here is what we talked about:
Negotiating your workload is NOT About: Complaining, not doing what your boss asks, or thinking you can avoid all 24×7 demands.
Negotiating your workload IS about: Thinking before doing, increasing the value of what you do and taking personal responsibility to make the work more valuable, and the work environment better.
Understanding what your boss does and doesn’t say
Establishing an achievable workload with a new boss
24×7 demands
In the webinar we talked about how to get super clear on what your boss wants and why it matters. We covered specific questions you can ask, and how to establish the right expectations.
Sometimes in a crisis or a deadline you need to work 24×7. But we talked about how to limit this, how to learn from it, and how to make it better and less painful next time.
Catch vs. Do
Keep a List
Always have a recommendation
This is really the crux of this topic. The trick: you need to CATCH all the work but not necessarily DO all the work. Realize that your boss is delegating the thinking about the work, not just the work.
You need to think like an executive to figure out how to deliver the necessary outcomes, by sorting, prioritizing, and choosing the most valuable work, and the right way to do it. That is part of your job. One of the callers summarized this as going from “victim to accomplisher”. Thanks to Tim K for that!
Then you need to go to your boss with suggestions and solutions. We talked about how to keep a list that you can use a tool for the negotiating (included in the worksheets), and the importance of ALWAYS having a recommendation. Never ask your boss to solve a problem for you. That’s what you’re there for.
Show the value of what you do
Share what you Finish
Avoid things that destroy credibility
Multiple Masters & Matrix Management
A big part of this topic is building your credibility as you negotiate a workload that is more meaningful and doable. It’s important to be able to proactively lead a business conversation about the value of what you are doing.
And don’t just finish things in silence. Communicate! We also talked about ways to use these techniques when you have more than one boss you are accountable to.
If you missed the webinar and you want to hear it in its entirety…
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About Patty
Patty Azzarello is an executive, best-selling author, speaker and CEO/Business Advisor. She became the youngest general manager at HP at the age of 33, ran a billion dollar software business at 35 and became a CEO for the first time at 38 (all without turning into a self-centered, miserable jerk)
You can find Patty at www.AzzarelloGroup.com, follow her on twitter or facebook, or read her book RISE…3 Practical Steps for Advancing Your Career, Standing Out as a Leader, AND Liking Your Life.
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