What do you do if you're a leader facing conflicting deadlines and need to prioritize effectively?

The impact assessment should ideally be completed before a deadline is created. But often it isn't. In either case, I like to consider questions like: - Did you agree to it? If yes, what was your process for evaluating your (or your team's) ability to deliver on your promise? If no, how did it become your responsibility to deliver to that timeline? - When you look at your portfolio of commitments, what dependencies exist? What will it mean if you delay <this deliverable>? Who will you let down and what implications does that have? - What power dynamics are at play here? - How good are you at saying NO? - What is the one thing you could do to make your impact assessment more effective?

In this initial phase, assessing impact is important but also an opportunity to internally assess your self as a leader, what is urgent, what is important and why.

É essencial verificar os recursos disponíveis ao lidar com prazos conflitantes. Em uma situação passada, ao enfrentar prazos apertados, fiz um inventário dos membros da equipe e suas habilidades específicas. Isso me permitiu identificar quem poderia lidar com cada tarefa de forma eficiente e também onde poderíamos precisar de suporte adicional. Ao compreender nossos recursos, conseguimos delegar tarefas de maneira inteligente e cumprir os prazos.

Clear delegation is important. Here it is key as a leader to limit telling your team how to do something but focus on what to do and empowering your team to deliver. Empowering people is giving them trust and freedom...powerful ingredients for building the effectiveness of your team.

Sometimes you won’t have enough resources to do everything, or you’ll be given deadlines that are unrealistic. If that’s the case, your best bet is to be upfront as soon as possible and ask for some flexibility. Letting people know sooner rather than late keeps everyone on the same page and helps all parties manage expectations. The worst thing you can do is wait until a day or two before the deadline to let your clients know you will be late - this harms the relationship and decreases trust.

The Eisenhower Matrix is a time management tool that helps prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance. It divides tasks into four categories: Urgent and Important (Do First): Tasks that need immediate attention. Important, Not Urgent (Schedule): Tasks that are important but can be done later. Urgent, Not Important (Delegate): Tasks that need to be done soon but can be delegated. Not Urgent, Not Important (Don’t Do): Tasks that are neither urgent nor important and can be eliminated. This matrix is useful for organizing your workload and focusing on what truly matters.

Manter um equilíbrio entre trabalho e vida pessoal é crucial para uma liderança eficaz a longo prazo. Em minha experiência, ao lidar com prazos conflitantes, sempre me certifico de monitorar o nível de estresse da equipe e incentivar pausas adequadas. Isso garante que a equipe permaneça produtiva e saudável, mesmo sob pressão.

Sempre há aspectos adicionais a considerar ao lidar com prazos conflitantes. Por exemplo, em uma situação anterior, tive que lidar com problemas de comunicação entre diferentes equipes, o que acabou afetando nossos prazos. Portanto, é importante estar atento a esses fatores externos e abordá-los de maneira proativa para garantir o sucesso do projeto.