Remain Strong with Michael Riegel

Accepting Tradeoffs and Limitations

As a manager, I recognized that it is impossible to be all things to all people. That inability to satisfy all stakeholder desires at the same time. In project management, we accept the Golden Triangle – the competing interests of cost, speed, and quality. Essentially, we are forced to choose two of the three goals. To maintain low costs and a tight deadline, quality will suffer. If high quality and a tight deadline are prescribed, then costs will increase. These are the natural tradeoffs we encounter, talk to our clients about, and advise our project owners. Success requires that we acknowledge and highlight these competing interests and get clarity around the selected goals. It is easy to lose sight of them, create false expectations, and leave disappointment at the end of the project.

A similar perspective can be applied personally. I recently spoke with one of your fellow women in construction about the speed and volume of tasks that keep coming our way. I joked about the adage – “if you want something done, give it to a busy mom.” Perpetuating this perspective does not serve anyone’s long term interest or success. Francis Frei and Ann Morris, authors of Move Fast & Fix Things, present this as a choice between Nobility of Effort vs. Nobility of Excellence.

Their premise being that “best in class” performers make conscious tradeoffs. Choosing effort, in their research, leads to exhausted mediocrity. Trying to do everything at a high level only to realize that achieving everything at high quality is impossible. Is this strictly an issue that women encounter? Probably not, but I have coached many who struggle to set boundaries, say no when asked to help, or who embrace the “I’m so busy” persona as a badge of honor. Thinking about our industry, many women still push themselves to do more and outperform their colleagues just to maintain career progress.

To achieve excellence, Frei and Morris advocate for accepting tradeoffs. Fundamentally taking on fewer roles or tasks and doing them very well rather than delivering mixed results across more areas. This requires some introspection and self-awareness. Here are a few ways to tackle this issue:

Zone of Genius

Each of us has some area in which we stand out, naturally excel, or gravitate to instinctively. It could be in communicating with team members and clients. It could be in developing project tracking systems, performance evaluation, contract negotiations, or ensuring timely payments. By truly understanding that aspect of your professional life, you can begin to lean into those fully. You will likely enjoy them more, be more productive, and be seen as more confident and competent.

What Do I Want?

Want is a strange concept for many. Voicing a preference or desire can be hard. We don’t want to say no or disappoint others. We may not feel worthy or able to go beyond the “have to do” and feel stuck in a loop of saying yes, feeling overwhelmed, and then beating ourselves up for not meeting our internal standards of excellence. Getting clarity around what you want to achieve (i.e., promotion, confidence, recognition, etc.) makes the tradeoffs more apparent. It’s not easy to make the tradeoffs but identifying and understanding them is probably a good first step.

Delegation is an Important Tool

When I coach business owners, I advise them to take on the tasks that only they can do and delegate the rest. By accepting the need to be more strategic in the use of time, their next logical question is “if not me then who?” Delegation is one of the toughest aspects for a manager to master. To strive for the nobility of excellence, delegation can be your best approach. It frees up your time, it serves as a development opportunity for someone else and allows you to focus on the most important initiatives.

Conscientious professionals want to be helpful, be seen as a resource, and feel positive at the end of the day. Crafting that reputation requires you to make tough decisions. Deciding what you should not be taking on is infinitely more challenging than accepting all incoming requests. Making difficult choices brings your own self-care into the decision matrix. You can’t be at your best if you are operating from a place of exhaustion, overwhelm, disappointment or resentment. Perhaps 2025 is the year to retire the “I’m so busy” mantra in favor of “I feel fulfilled and energized.”

Happy WIC Week. Onward and Upward.

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