Career · FORTUNE
Fortune #30
Mixed — reflect carefully
A responsible yes to new work should also name what will slow down with unchanged time. Then the yes comes with a plan.
QUOTE CARD
A quote for you
“สิ่งสำคัญคือต้องแยกแยะความแตกต่างระหว่างปริมาณของข้อมูลและคุณภาพของข้อมูลนั้น”
— คาร์ล เซแกน
นักดาราศาสตร์และนักสื่อสารวิทยาศาสตร์ชาวอเมริกัน ผู้ร่วมสร้างรายการ Cosmos
- Person
- Carl Sagan
- Source work
- Chapter 2, “Genes and Brains” (p. 21)
- Source text
- It is important to distinguish between the amount of information and the quality of that information.
STORY & REFLECTION
A yes that named what would move
Guidance-based illustration · A yes that named what would move
Illustrative scene: An employee accepts every request to avoid disappointing anyone. By week's end, five tasks are late, and they begin hiding the real status.
With the next request, they tell the manager it is possible if task B moves to Wednesday or part is reassigned. The manager chooses a trade-off the team can manage.
Atlassian's capacity planning starts from available time rather than assuming everyone can absorb more. A visible workload makes trade-offs about dates and scope discussable.
Naming real capacity before a missed deadline protects quality and trust better than an unworkable promise.
Reflection
Saying yes to everything risks quality.
A small action today
Name what would be delayed if you accept more.
A question to reflect on
If you accept more work, what honestly has to move?