Two administrative assistants are at odds over task prioritization. How can you help them find common ground?

Remember that, often, poor communication or misunderstandings can be the biggest problem in prioritizing tasks and only come to light through a clarifying conversation. To find disagreements between team members, it is critical to identify company's main goals and objectives. Once the priority issues have been identified, gather the team together and have a frank conversation, exploring specific reasons why each member believes that this is a priority.

Engage in an open dialogue with both parties to understand their perspectives and the reasons behind their prioritization choices. This process can reveal if the conflict stems from a lack of clarity in job roles, personal working styles, or external pressures. By pinpointing the root cause, you can address the specific problem rather than just the symptoms, paving the way for a more targeted and effective resolution.

Prioritize Strategically: Rather than feeling overwhelmed by an extensive to-do list, prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency. Use your strategic thinking, long-range vision, and knowledge of your leader’s priorities to allocate more attention, energy, and time to critical tasks. Eisenhower Matrix: Consider using the Eisenhower Matrix, which categorizes tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. This method helps you focus on what truly matters. Remember, effective communication and flexibility are key. Encourage open dialogue between the assistants to find common ground and align their priorities.

Prioritäten zu setzen ist der nächste Schritt. Hier kann ein klar definierter Kriterienkatalog helfen, Aufgaben nach ihrer Wichtigkeit und Dringlichkeit zu bewerten. Setzt euch zusammen und erarbeitet eine gemeinsame Liste von Prioritäten. Dabei solltet ihr berücksichtigen, welche Aufgaben den größten Einfluss auf das Gesamtergebnis haben. Gemeinsame Ziele und Prioritäten schaffen Klarheit und reduzieren Konflikte.

Uma forma eficaz de alinhar as expectativas é estabelecer critérios claros e objetivos de priorização que estejam de acordo com os objetivos da empresa. Critérios como urgência, impacto no negócio, demandas de clientes ou gestores, e disponibilidade de recursos podem servir como um guia. Esses parâmetros ajudam a tirar o foco das preferências individuais e a direcionar as decisões de priorização com base nas necessidades da organização.

Ante la situación expuesta puedo decir que ambos asistentes deben tener claro la visión, misión y objetivo de la empresa. Es desde allí que iniciamos con una alineación de ideas con el fin de lograr las metas basando de los talentos, recursos y definir las fortalezas y debilidades de la empresa para poder llegar a los pilares esenciales. Todo tiene prioridad pero hay que definir los grados de ellas para desarrollarlos con planteamientos eficaces con sus respectivas soluciones. Así es trabajar en equipo y el éxito y satisfacción de una tarea lograda.

We must consider and prioritize tasks that have greatest influence and relevance on the desired result, with clarity and ongoing communication, to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings. Creating clear criteria helps to evaluate tasks completed (or to be completed) according to their importance and urgency. Get the team together and set achievable goals. A good way is use SMART methodology: Specific / Measurable / Achievable / Relevant / Time-bound.

Saber identificar qual é a prioridade é muito importante para desenrolar as coisas, isso também envolve alinhar tarefas com as metas e prazos.

Klare Rollendefinitionen können helfen, Missverständnisse zu vermeiden und Zuständigkeiten klar zu machen. Definiert, wer für welche Aufgaben verantwortlich ist und stellt sicher, dass alle Beteiligten ihre Rollen verstehen. Dies fördert nicht nur die Effizienz, sondern auch das Verständnis und die Akzeptanz der jeweiligen Prioritäten. Jeder weiß, was von ihm erwartet wird und kann sich besser auf seine Aufgaben konzentrieren.

Conflict often arises as a result of miscommunication. It's the manager's duty to allocate tasks according to the team's capabilities, knowledge, and experience. After assigning tasks, the manager should clearly outline each person's responsibilities, expected outcomes, and deadlines. A brief 10-minute daily progress meeting is essential, where team members report their daily work, progress, challenges, or any potential conflicts. This approach helps both parties stay focused on their goals and significantly reduces the likelihood of conflicts.

After identifying the issues, collaborate with the administrative assistants to establish clear priorities and define their roles. Align their tasks with organizational goals and deadlines. Facilitate a meeting where both assistants list their tasks and jointly determine which are most critical. Clearly defining each assistant’s responsibilities eliminates overlaps and confusion. This approach fosters ownership and respect, ensuring both assistants feel heard and valued. Regular check-ins can maintain clarity and address emerging issues, leading to a smoother workflow. Clearly defined roles reduce future conflicts and increase efficiency.

Assign roles and responsibilities by clearly allocating them to your subordinate. Ensure every stakeholder understood their roles and responsibilities to ensure socialisation within the system. Avoid conflicting roles and responsibilities to mitigate conflicts amongst

Clarificar Processos: Defina claramente os processos e as responsabilidades de cada parte. É essencial ter um entendimento comum sobre como o trabalho será realizado e quais serão os papéis e responsabilidades de cada um.

Pontos que auxiliarão para uma melhor comunicação em casos de desacordos em relação à priorização de tarefas: - Reunião Inicial para Alinhamento de Expectativas - Identificação de Prioridades e Urgências: - Discussão Aberta sobre a Priorização - Definição de Procedimentos e Linhas de Comunicação - Documentação e Revisão Contínua das tomadas de decisões - Treinamento e Desenvolvimento em Comunicação - Feedback e Ajustes de procedimento conforme a necessidade

Fördert eine offene und regelmäßige Kommunikation, um sicherzustellen, dass alle auf dem gleichen Stand sind. Regelmäßige Meetings oder Check-ins können helfen, den Fortschritt zu besprechen und eventuelle Probleme frühzeitig zu erkennen. Eine offene Kommunikation schafft Vertrauen und fördert eine kooperative Arbeitsatmosphäre. So können Missverständnisse vermieden und gemeinsame Lösungen schneller gefunden werden.

Communication is the best way in my opinion to get the ball rolling. If each person makes a few good points about what they think is the best way to get the job done, they will definitely have a common denominator of options. Maybe even two or more. Then just put the options in line to complete the task. Example, at times I have to help my daughter with deep cleaning her 4 bedroom house. She gets overwhelmed and looks to organize and I want to pile up, then organize. We split the rooms and then start. She always does the bathrooms, kitchen because they are nothing but organizing and I do the laundry dishes, bedrooms since they require piling, organizing then deep cleaning. We simply started with communicating first. Found common ground!

Em qualquer trabalhos que se tenha que gerir métricas para identificar qual a prioridade e em qual fase, fica evidente que o planilhamento de atividades e check list diário (comunicação), sao essenciais. A flutuação da criticidade dos assuntos pode se alternar mas com um mapa das atividades, acredito que esta ferramenta vai colaborar na analise e investimento de energia no que de fato for emergencia e precisa ser comunicado a gestao e compartilhado com os colegas de trabalho.

Create social inclusion and open communication between within team members to enable open communication. Be deliberate to listen to feedbacks and other members suggestions while streamlining their significance.

Implementiert Systeme und Tools, die die Zusammenarbeit erleichtern und Transparenz schaffen. Projektmanagement-Tools können helfen, Aufgaben zu verfolgen, Prioritäten zu setzen und den Fortschritt zu überwachen. Klare Prozesse und Systeme machen die Arbeit effizienter und helfen, Missverständnisse zu vermeiden. Außerdem kann jeder jederzeit den aktuellen Stand einsehen und weiß, welche Aufgaben als nächstes anstehen.

Tracking system implementation is essentially crucial in task management as it helps in mitigating time wastage and unnecessary delays. It points out the direction of project. It visualise the achievements, pending task while pointing out the next cause of action.

High qualified and deep trained professionals with high critical sense and in-depth knowledge of company's goals and objectives and its team(s) are essential for prioritizing tasks. In addition, project management tools are truly helpful to define and enumerate tasks and their priorities, monitoring progress on each or all tasks.

Determinar Prioridades: Com base nas conversas e no auxílio da terceira pessoa, ambos devem definir claramente quais tarefas ou objetivos devem ter prioridade. Essa decisão deve ser baseada na importância e na urgência de cada tarefa, bem como nos recursos disponíveis.

Seguindo esses passos, é possível alcançar um entendimento claro e mútuo, o que ajuda a garantir que o trabalho em equipe seja eficiente e produtivo.

Discuss potential compromises or shared responsibilities. For example, if one assistant prefers to handle certain tasks while the other has strong opinions about another, they can look for a middle ground that satisfies both parties.

Teamwork goes a long ways! Being kind and courteous, offering to help if there is a need to complete a task will go a long way towards the goal. Seniority matters, be respectful and learn the ropes, old and new.