From the course: Prioritizing Effectively as a Leader

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How to fend off things that aren't a priority

How to fend off things that aren't a priority

From the course: Prioritizing Effectively as a Leader

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How to fend off things that aren't a priority

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- Just because you're clear on what the priorities should be, that doesn't mean everyone else is. Leaders get a lot thrown at them. And your boss may, without thinking, pile on more work for your team to do, assuming that you'll just magically find a way to handle it without that disrupting their other work. And in today's matrixed organizations, you may well have a senior leader who isn't your boss assume it's perfectly appropriate to hand things off to you without any understanding of what else is on your team's plate. Obviously, you can't do everything. Even it you tried, it'd be a bad idea, because we know it's important to focus on priorities, not any old random thing. So, how do you handle the very, very delicate politics of saying no, especially when that person you're refusing is above you in the corporate hierarchy? Here's how to handle it. First, let's assume the culprit is your boss. Technically, she does have the authority to tell you what to do. But she needs to be…

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