SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 190,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: How do you feel about your current level of responsibilities?
- I don’t have enough — they need to give me more: 32.27%
- I’m comfortable with my current responsibilities: 40.6%
- I have too much on my plate, and they need to lighten my load: 27.13%
Overworked or Underworked. It seems to be an even split between those of you who feel overworked versus those who feel underworked. The critical piece of either side of that equation is communicating with your manager. If you want additional responsibilities, make a clear case for what you’d like to take on and why it makes sense for you to own it. But beware – when you take on those additional projects, you might find yourself in the overworked camp. If you’re overworked, first prioritize your own projects and eliminate time sinks and low value projects. If that doesn’t lighten your load enough, speak with your manager about additional resources or reprioritizing what’s on your plate.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS and author of “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”