The coach’s corner

Julia Rowan answers your management, leadership and team development questions

QThere are a lot of projects underway in my organisation currently, and some of my reports are being pulled onto project teams I’m not involved in. Some are telling me they don’t have time for their day-to-day tasks, causing them to push it back to me. Other team members feel overlooked, resentful and are reluctant to take on extra work. A lot of these projects are sponsored by senior leaders, and so making a fuss may not go down well.

A. Situations like this tend to generate strong and competing emotions. Those left holding the fort may feel disrespected and resentful, particularly if they are picking up work that isn’t normally theirs.

Those involved in projects may feel stretched, pressured and torn between competing priorities or guilty about foisting their work onto colleagues. As the manager, you may experience frustration or helplessness as resources are redeployed without your direct input.

The first step is to focus on what you can control. You have a legitimate right to understand how your team’s time is being used and whether core responsibilities can still be met. This isn’t about blocking projects or questioning senior sponsors; it’s about ensuring the day-to-day business continues to function.

A useful next step is to define what feels reasonable in this context and what does not. Reasonable might include short-term pressure, temporary reprioritisation or uneven workloads for a defined period.

Unreasonable might include open-ended commitments, essential tasks being dropped or work quietly defaulting back to you without discussion. There will be grey areas, but being clear on what you need is a good starting point.

Speak with project leaders or sponsors to understand their expectations about time commitment, deliverables and duration. Make sure to frame your conversations around delivery, risk and sustainability—rather than territory and workload.

Next, talk to your direct reports individually about what other work this project work is genuinely displacing. Be curious rather than accusatory.

You are trying to build an accurate picture, not appropriate blame. See what ideas they have about their contribution to the team and how their day-to-day work might get done.

Once you have this information, call a meeting (ideally in person) to share it with the whole team. This helps to reduce assumptions and unspoken resentment.

Be transparent about what is known, what is uncertain and what is likely to change. Acknowledge the benefits of cross-functional projects (broader organisational impact, individual development, visibility) while also naming the operational strain they can create.

While there will be important details to work out, the conversation needs to be as much, or more, about the process (how this team works together at this time) rather than the specific tasks.

A respectful process that acknowledges and appreciates the extra work individuals are taking on will help to diffuse resentment and encourage team members to be co-operative.

Start this as soon as possible—leaving time for people to reflect on how they can help. Resist the temptation to absorb all the pressure yourself. Quietly compensating for gaps may feel helpful in the short term, but it masks the true cost of project activity and increases your own risk of burnout.

Be very conscious about supporting your team (with good communications and regular meetings), as well as the individuals (with regular one-on-ones) at this time.

IF YOU READ ONE THING…

Leading Through Uncertainty—Making disruptive change work for humans by Jude Jennison. A very personal and readable book about leading confidently during periods of uncertainty. Jennison teaches leadership through work with horses and peppers her book with real life stories and case studies.

Julia Rowan is Principal Consultant with Performance Matters Ltd, a leadership and team development consultancy. To send a question to Julia, email julia@performancematters.ie