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Guys there’s this boot camp that I came across that trains people to get jobs in Top consulting firms and has a fee plan wherein you pay once you get placed. I just wanted to know if someone here has any experience with this ?
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQuKa3k-rG3emxJcfbidCjC0Su85E_BKqW9cTeFZMY4xg4LnUVxOLrpcETqf7d-iEePlFh6lJ1knwwD/pubhtml
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Things that helped me navigate this in the workplace:
-"[boss], I have made a solid effort to implement your suggestions for handling overwhelm. However, I am still not seeing the results I want. Can you help me develop and implement several plans of action for managing overwhelm with respect to my current role and the expectations placed on me?"
Or
"[boss], I have tried X, Y, and Z strategies for managing my work load and I am still not in a comfortable flow state with it yet. After implementing your suggestions over the past X amount of time, I think it would be helpful to assess the needs of the situation below the surface level." Then go on to explain specifically what you need and want from your boss. Examples: more assistance with structuring your day and time management, more support for appropriate task delegation to others (i.e. Hey that task is actually not my job. It belongs to [person]. They need to take over that task again.), specifically request that Boss redistributes the work among the team instead of front loading it to you because "you are so good at it" (garbage response).
I suggest making a list of concrete actions and options that you can directly request your boss to help you with, and especially if you work on a team, also pitch the idea during a team meeting.
If you are just straight up in an unsupportive, toxic, Dog-eat-dog environment where you can guarantee you Won't receive help without causing a scene.... Find a new team, new boss, new department, new role, new job as needed. Lateral career moves are good calls 90% of the time in my experience.
Prevent your own burnout, because no one else will. Take care of yourself. You deserve a job that doesn't drive you into the ground. 8 billion+ people on this earth, we can find you a more suitable job.
Find new job first, then transition.
Don't jump ship without the new job in hand. It's rough out there right now.
Also very helpful thank you!!!
Make a list of your tasks and the requested task response dates to demonstrate why you’re concerned about the workload and priorities. Ask to meet with her and go through the list together. She can help a little more precisely if she knows what specifically your up against — general terms aren’t terribly helpful.
Sounds like she is pushing it back on you to get more specific. I don’t think it’s a bad response. She is looking to you to come up with a solution. If you have too much responsibility, figure out what you can delegate. Maybe you need to hire under you. You are the only person that can solve it because it is your perception.
I think one of the most important aspects of being a leader is knowing when someone needs coaching.
If an employee comes to me with a problem, I assume they need some coaching to get them pointed in the right direction. I would not assume the employee can solve for being overwhelmed and come up with a plan to address it.
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses ....
Many higher up execs don't want to hear your venting (I report to a CFO and this 100% the case). Rather, they want a plan of action. If you didn't already, tell them how you will either manage through it if you want feedback or give them enough data to support giving you the resources you need.
Consciously doubling down on the others here. At a VP level you need to be autonomous and steadfast in communicating a plan. You’re reporting into too high a rank. That C-suite is not there to coach you and showing up as a complainer is a bad look when you need to be a multiplier and grounded in delivering.
What is causing your feeling of overwhelm? Is it the job load, competing priorities, lack of training/knowledge in the role? That’s typically where I start- the more specific the issue or concern, the better the game plan to potentially resolve the issue. Just stating you’re overwhelmed doesn’t really give too much context to situation.
As a manager I’d want to know your answers to these questions as well. Recommend being prepared to explain a story where you for instance struggles to meet existing project timelines w unexpected fire drills emphasizing it’s unsustainable bc quality of work suffers & can compound on each other. Then you and your manager have a tangible scenario to problem solve.
Fwiw I often recommend mg staff in this situation use their calendar as their to-do list for a few weeks. Your manager and you want you scheduling your priorities. As you schedule 30mins here and there to respond to more significant emails, or 1hr to follow up after a meeting w action items, etc. you’ll see if you’re scheduling your priorities. And You’ll quickly see how long things actually take (tip: schedule double the time you think you need at first). Then when you have to shift/triage your various tasks you can clearly see how A impacted B which resulted in C.
Hope that helps, happy to clarify.
It’s healthcare … we’re ALL overwhelmed. So.. as a boss… if you can’t come to me with specifics and what we can realistically do or implement to help then I can’t help you. I’m not here to solve your problems I’m here to run the business so come with solutions. That will make you more valuable.
Sounds like you should absolutely go to your boss with solutions and proposals to help yourself and your team better navigate the constant overwhelm, considering bosses aren't there to help you solve your problems. 😂😂😂😂
My manager is very tactical in providing feedback. For example, he’ll say you shouldn’t have done XYZ in project A because other other team should have done it and given you a more thoughtful response. Next time please loop me in so you don’t bear that burden.
I encourage you to present examples of when you feel overwhelmed and ask for specific feedback.
I also do this with my direct reports, walk me through project X, steps you’re taking and how much time does it take for you to do each step. And then provide very tactical feedback on time management, prioritizing etc.
I think you have to figure out what the actual issue is. Is that you’re doing a job of two people or you’re lacking a skillset needed for parts of the job. Write down a list of things that you need to do in a given week. Prioritize them and then go to your boss to ensure that you’re on the same page . If you see that the list is way too long and cannot be completed, then you ask your boss who can help with that .
I went through this at my last position and ended up leaving the company. There are some companies that will continue to dump and reprioritize making you feel like you are never moving forward. If you have already sat down and worked through the priority list with your manager but nothing is changing, then it could just be the company is operating too lean to be effective in your position.
If you have let her know you're overwhelmed and she is not doing anything you have to start letting thing fall between the cracks. Because as long as they have a work around and stuff is getting done they dont care!
If you feel overwhelmed and your manager offers help, let her help. This will allow her to better understand why you feel
Overwhelmed, and that some items seem quick and easy but they do take time, and many small items add up to many time consuming tasks. Speaking up a delegating are part of growth, look at your team as a whole, not just you. There very well be a better way to do things.
F
Hi, I think you should take an hour and email her what are priorities and what is extra, I think by listing all you have in your plate and present it to her this way, will be easier for her to see why you feel overwhelmed and can accurately help you out. Remember, she probably has alot more in her plate and that's why she gave you that feed back.
Hope this helps.
What, specifically, do you want her response to be?
It might help if you ask specifically for what you want. E.g., "I am feeling overwhelmed. How do you normally handle this situation? Can you provide some guidance to help me work through this?"
She can't read your mind - and there's a good chance she's also overwhelmed as it is, so being clear about what you're asking for is the best thing for both of you.
What’s been helpful to me is having a written backlog that is prioritized. That way, I can relax knowing that, as long as I’m working to complete the highest priority items, all else can and must wait. And if I’m not getting through the work quickly enough, my boss can help me reprioritize, and even suggest new approaches for completing or delegating some tasks.
'Feeling overwhelmed' is a state of being, not a root problem to be solved. You could try to find the root of the issues first and start picking away at problem areas and document the effort. It's much more impactful to say 'hey supervisor, over the past 3 months, I've spent 82 hours/month on xyz tasks/responsibilities that should be handled at a director/manager/specialist/etc level. I've tried additional delegation of tasks/creating efficiencies/done time studies with my staff, etc but nothing has worked to alleviate the pain points. So my solution is to add a xyz role/reorganize my staff's responsibilities/etc to achieve a better output'.
Provide data, explain the reasons, ask your supervisor for exactly what you need'.
Triage by due date and advise of tasks/assignments you may not be able to meet. That’s specific and she can reassign, pitch in etc.
Without knowing your boss, it’s hard to say. It could be a scenario that they’re just pushing you and that’s just an easy answer or it could be. They genuinely want to help you, but want you to be in charge of what you wanna do and what you can pass off For them to help. My old boss always said assume positive intent it’s not always easy to do in this day and age but your boss could genuinely care and just want you to be able to pick and choose what you feel your best at or enjoy the most.
Definitely I'd expect more a plan that just share how your feel, take seriously when they said: How I can help you?
Identify why you are feeling overwhelmed ? Is there also anything not job related that are bothering you? Any time off you should plan?
You are so brave at least sharing how you are feeling... first step done! Congrats
Honestly everyone’s advice here is great and the root of the issue is also to be addressed here. The issue is unfortunately your boss is not the best person to vent to. They are too far removed from your position to be empathetic and as your leader they are not likely to baby you…You just have to find a better person to vent to and they’ll likely give you the support you are looking for…good luck my dear