No, I'm not hiring, but everyone else is! It seems like every company I go into right now is short staffed. The struggle to get and keep strong talent is real! As my buddy Steve Bench said in a recent podcast episode, "There are more jobs than people right now, so the employee has the upper hand."
Meanwhile, everyone else is struggling to do the job of 2 people...or 3. Overworked and overwhelmed, the mood in the workplace can be pretty frenzied these days.
Are you feeling this at your job?
I was doing a customized workshop last week called "Ignite Your Team, Embracing the Discomfort of Change, Together" and we were talking about what they could and couldn't control within the context of their workplace and one of them said,
"We can't control that we're understaffed right now. What we can control is how we prioritize our tasks!"
BINGO! This was the perfect example of playing the hand you're dealt. Yes, it's awful to be overworked while trying to cover open positions. Yes, it's frustrating that it's a slow process to bring people in to fill roles. All this is true, but it doesn't help you on Tuesday at 4:45pm when you're trying to get out the door and you still have 8 items on your to-do list!
This means that prioritizing is vitally important right now! Knowing the big rocks that you need to move, and doing those items first. Some things may need to fall by the wayside for a minute. (I see you perfectionists and completionists out there gripping the edge of the table as you read this!)
But seriously. Sometimes we don't know when tough times will end, or maybe they're just a new reality (like menopause, this post-CoVid world and inflation!) so figuring out how we can sustain our pace and work from where we are now is super important. Burnout comes quick when you're stressed and overwhelmed all the time, and your career and your company need you to keep firing on all cylinders!
- Where are we now?
- What can we control/influence, what can't we? Focus on the ones you can control/influence!
- There may be some tasks that need to fall by the wayside.
- or done later
- or done more quickly.
- or, can they be eliminated?
It's not "business as usual" so when you're in the midst of challenging times, reset for NOW. How do we continue to charge forward under these new circumstances?
So have a conversation with your team, your family, or just that person in the mirror. Understand your priorities, and make a plan for those times when you just can NOT get to everything. Then move forward with the plan knowing it's how you're going to be able to continue bringing your best self to work, to your family, and for yourself.
Go get 'em Tiger!
