The Manager's Dilemma: Balancing the Inverse Equation of Increasing Demands and Shrinking Resources

"The Manager's Dilemma" shows team leaders how to deal with the day-to-day and longer-term challenges brought on by increasing pressures and scarce resources. It offers plenty of tips, so managers feel more satisfied at work, are more productive, and make a greater contribution to their organizations. So it first teaches them how to survive in a high-stress environment, and then it shows them how to thrive.

So who's this book for? "The Manager's Dilemma" is for anyone who manages people, projects or resources, who wants to work more efficiently and productively. It's directed at managers of all ranks in the corporate world, but it's just as relevant to those working in non-profits or leading community groups or sports teams.

Managers who are feeling overwhelmed and are looking for instant solutions will get the most from this book. But any manager or leader would be wise to give it a read, so they can take preventative measures before things get out of hand.

There's plenty here for non-managers too. People who want to make a bigger contribution to their teams or organizations, clarify their unique purpose, or make better choices about how they spend their time will also get a lot from the author's tips.

Jesse Sostrin PhD is a leadership coach and consultant whose work focuses on the intersection between individual and organizational success. He's a writer, speaker and internationally-recognized authority on leadership and the changing nature of work, and his innovative ideas have been featured widely in a variety of media outlets.

"The Manager's Dilemma" is his third book. He's also the author of "Re-Making Communication at Work" and "Beyond the Job Description." You can listen to him talk about that book in an Expert Interview podcast on the Mind Tools site.

So keep listening to hear how to make sure your priorities match your vision, how to stop your energy draining away, and how to know when an opportunity is ripe.

"The Manager's Dilemma" is divided into three parts. In Part One, Sostrin sets out the dilemma, or the conundrum, of how to deal with the widening gap between increasing demands and decreasing resources.

He explores how this gap evolved and its detrimental impact on people's work and home lives. He encourages readers to understand this dilemma and embrace it, so they can respond more effectively. And he offers a series of questions, so readers can identify whether they're at risk of burnout before it's too late.

In Part Two, Sostrin suggests ways to stop things getting worse, and explains how to convert obstacles into catalysts for learning, development and positive change. Part Three is about moving beyond the dilemma, learning to thrive, and keeping up momentum to avoid slipping back into it.

Sostrin's approach is underpinned by eight principles or practices that show readers the way out of the manager's dilemma and help them change the way they work.

They are: follow the contradiction; determine your line of sight; distinguish your contribution; plug the leaks; create the conditions; find the pocket of influence; convert your challenges to fuel; and make your goals their priorities. We'll take a closer look at a few of these in a moment, but first a note about the book's format.

"The Manager's Dilemma" has a tight structure so it's easy to read and simple to refer back to. Sostrin includes case studies from his coaching and consulting work that bring his theories to life. There are also plenty of tables and figures dotted about the book. We found some of these a bit simplistic, but others are really useful. We particularly like the quizzes that help readers gage where they stand in relation to the manager's dilemma.

There's a comprehensive summary at the end of each chapter, which is helpful if you're pushed for time or want to see if a chapter's relevant before reading the whole thing. And there are some sample worksheets at the end of the book, so you can put his suggestions into practice immediately.

Sostrin has an innovative way of presenting his ideas and suggesting ways out of the manager's dilemma. But you may have heard some of his theories before, albeit described in different ways, and we felt some of his points could have been condensed.

We like his writing overall, though. It's easily digestible, engaging and colorful, with a good dose of metaphors. He also writes with authority, compassion and understanding. For example, he shares his own experience of suffering a panic attack when he was a manager trying to do more with less.

Let's now take a look at his tips for getting out of the manager's dilemma, starting with a few of his eight practices.

The first one is to "follow the contradiction." Sostrin uses the word "contradiction" to refer to anything that doesn't add up or feel right. Some examples are: being too busy to stop, even though you can't keep going; working at breakneck speed but making mistakes, so you have to do the work again; being asked to focus on tasks that don't match your skills; and being given a deadline that's impossible to meet.

That intuitive hunch that something is wrong, and that voice in your head willing you to say no instead of yes – those are warning signs that should lead you to pause and reflect. There are some useful tips in this chapter, but we think Sostrin could have presented his ideas in far fewer words.

His second principle – "determine your line of sight" – has more substance to it, so let's explore it in more depth.

When we're stressed, short on time and resources, and low on energy, we end up putting out fires and pursuing the wrong priorities, while the important work simmers away on the back burner. This approach to work further diminishes our time, energy, resources, and focus – our TERF, to use Sostrin's acronym.

In this scenario, we're also prone to practice what the author calls "skilled incompetence." We focus on tasks that are easier and more satisfying in the short term, rather than tackling the more important, challenging ones.

But if we take time to determine our line of sight – to work out what's important and understand how our efforts fit into the bigger picture – we'll be much more effective. We'll find it easier to set our priorities, manage our time, and to say yes to what matters and no to what doesn't.

A line of sight is more than a set of goals. It gives us insight into the bigger picture. But it doesn't ignore the short-term detail. We can determine a line of sight for a particular project or piece of work, and decide on a different one for our longer-term development.

To determine your line of sight, ask yourself these questions: What aspect of my work requires a greater level of alignment or more focus? Within this area, what factors matter to me most and what demands – of my clients, colleagues or superiors – do I need to satisfy? Which of these factors are critical and must remain within my line of sight? Test the value and relevance of each one. Then ask yourself: if I were to disregard any of these factors, what impact would that have on my outcomes and goals?

Once you've determined your line of sight, you'll be more able to ask for what you need, move toward your goals, and set your own definitions of success, rather than fall into the trap of using someone else's.

The idea of deciding on a vision and prioritizing tasks to fit with that vision is nothing new, but we like Sostrin's concept of the line of sight. It adds fresh perspective and we can see how it could help managers identify their priorities.

Another way out of the manager's dilemma is to "plug the leaks," or put an end to those unwanted, recurring experiences that drain our energy. Think about how damaging a leak can be at home. It may start as a tiny drip but if left unattended, pretty soon you might have a lot of water damage on your hands. In the same way, distractions on the outside, and our own unhelpful behaviors, attitudes and actions, can leave us feeling depleted and unable to perform at our best.

Sostrin puts leaks into different categories using colorful language. Pings, zings and dings are daily annoyances. Pings are minor distractions that demand a quick burst of attention, like an email, a text message, or a colleague stopping by our desk for advice.

Zings are surprise criticisms that throw us off balance and leave us using up vital energy, time, resources, and focus to nurse our hurt feelings or work out how to respond. And dings are surprise challenges that disrupt our flow. For example, when a project gets canceled at the last minute after months of work.

Sostrin offers a range of scenarios that fit into these three categories and includes solutions for each one, which he calls "tape and glue" because they plug the leaks. So let's say we're overlooked for a promotion we really wanted and felt fully qualified for – that's a ding, according to Sostrin. We can hold on to a grudge or we can rediscover our motivation, channel it into a new project, and choose to move on.

There are also unseen leaks, including leaks caused by weak leadership, indecision within teams, and unhealthy competition between team members. Once we've identified these leaks, we can take steps to stop vital energy or resources draining from our team – and Sostrin offers plenty of ways to do this.

Some readers won't like the author's metaphors and language in this chapter, but we think the concept of leaks is a really effective way to drive home his message. Managers and teams who take his advice and start plugging leaks should become a lot more effective.

Once managers have navigated their way out of the worst of their dilemma, they can start to power forward, and Part Three of the book – entitled "Flip the Scales" – explains how to do this.

We particularly like the idea of finding the pocket of influence. This is the moment when an opportunity is ripe. Think of a time when you've wanted to do or say something and the other person was receptive. You performed at your best, presented a solid argument, and you got the outcome you wanted with minimal effort. You were in your pocket of influence.

Now, think of a time when you began to say something and were met with resistance. Maybe you couldn't get the words out or the other person wasn't in the right mindset to listen. Or perhaps you misread the situation and the thing you valued most wasn't in line with the other person's priorities.

A pocket of influence is a moment in time when the conditions are right for you to get the outcome you want. It's a favorable opportunity that's likely to have four key components. The first is Recognition – both parties must sense an opportunity. Next is Alignment – the people you're trying to convince believe you're the right person with the right skills for the job. Then comes Timing – there's a sense of urgency, a window is open, or the budget is available. And finally Execution – you and those on the receiving end of your proposal believe you can pull it off.

Again, Sostrin's message about making sure the timing and the conditions are right to act is nothing new, but it's an important one and he presents it well. We all need help knowing how and when to act, so we can achieve maximum impact with minimum effort, rather than battling against the wind.

"The Manager's Dilemma" is full of valuable tips to help managers avoid the problems that inevitably arise when the workload increases and resources shrink. It's a good idea to read through this book, answer the author's questions, and put his suggestions into practice before a situation reaches the tipping point. But if you're already approaching burnout, there are some emergency solutions here too.

Whatever your situation, this book will increase your confidence and effectiveness as a manager, which will benefit your team and your organization as well. So we think it's well worth a read.

"The Manager's Dilemma" by Jesse Sostrin is published by Palgrave Macmillan.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.