Learning Which Balls To Drop
A trick every new manager should master.
Just after I started my first management position, a senior leader stopped by my desk to share a few words of advice. The most useful thing he said was:
The trick to being a successful manager is learning which balls to drop.
I gave him a puzzled look.
He explained that he knew I wasn’t accustomed to letting anything drop. I was a diligent worker who had demonstrated I could get things done. All the things that had ever been asked of me, in fact.
At the software company I was working for then, that was one factor in how they picked their new managers…which engineer or scientist (with solid communication skills) consistently got things done. I expect it’s not an uncommon practice, particularly in tech environs.
This senior leader’s observation was that if I held on to the same work strategy I’d used as an individual performer, I wouldn’t be effective in my new management role. I was a first-time supervisor leading a mid-size unit and I was facing a rapid rise in the demands on my time, and a lot less predictability in my daily routine.
If you have too many things to do and you try to do them all, eventually, something will fall through the cracks. So the key is to be able to control your own workflow. I.e., you pick which balls to drop; don’t let overwhelming circumstances do it for you.
Yes, this is just learning how to prioritize. It sounds obvious but I’m later in my career now, and I’ve seen a lot of first-time managers struggle to accept the importance of prioritization. Everyone likes to be the hero who somehow manages to do the impossible — to never let anything drop.
Harsh reality time: we’re all human and time is limited. There are only 24 hours in the day (and hopefully, you aren’t working all of them…). Also, not all of the issues, tasks, and problems that hit a manager’s desk are of the same importance. This is helpful, if you use it!
So, the first step is to understand that you need to prioritize. The second step is to learn how to prioritize. And the most important step, is to accept that some things won’t get done at all.
Which Balls To Drop
There are a lot of techniques to help with prioritization. The circumstances of every job are different but as a manager there are a few universal truths.
Serious personnel issues always come first. If one of your direct reports is in crisis, that’s your top priority — always. If you have more than one direct report in crisis at the same time, you probably won’t be getting much else accomplished during that period. This is why span-of-control is so important in management. Too many direct reports for one manager spells certain chaos, at some point.
After personnel issues, it becomes more job/circumstance specific. Every manager has a set of hot button issues that flare up and need immediate attention, or sometimes there are major responsibilities of the job that require a lot of daily monitoring. For each of the different management positions I’ve held, I can think of 2–3 “top fires” I was always putting out, and a few major responsibilities that never made it to the back burner. Once you know what those top fires and critical responsibilities are, you’ve got the basis for your prioritization scheme.
As a manager, my daily workflow went something like this:
- triaging my inbox in real-time (whenever possible);
- addressing personnel crises immediately (when necessary);
- putting out the “top fires” as they occur;
- tending to my key major responsibilities;
- doing ad hoc quick tasks quickly (but only if there isn’t a personnel crisis, a fire burning, or a key responsibility needing attention);
- trying my best to spend more time doing things than organizing or optimizing my time.
Of course, with some of those positions, my calendar was always full of meetings, too. (That’s a topic for another time, or another article, like this one…)
Management is a juggling act, for sure. But I think that leader who visited my desk when I was a brand-new supervisor had it right. To truly be effective as a manager, you have to quietly learn which balls you can drop.
Sometimes it’s just a temporary drop, until things quiet down and you can get to it. But also, you may have to let a few things drop entirely. Make your peace with that, and learn which things you can let slip with the least impact to your team, your organization, and you.
Thanks for reading. If you liked what you read, consider hitting that 👏 and/or Follow button.
