Years ago, when I was working at Mercy Hospital in Janesville, Wisconsin, a request was made of me. I put other items to the side to make it happen. Later I found out the request was not urgent. I had let other items slide that were more important. How could I have prevented this from taking place? By asking the person making the request about its timeline and relative importance.

It sounds simple and obvious, but many people forget to do it. I am one of them. After the learning experience at Mercy, I made sure to bake the “get clarity first” practice into other organizations I was part of. Yet I slowly drifted away from it. Recently, in an educational session, I was reminded of its importance.

When we ask those simple questions at the beginning of a project–What is the timeline? and Where does this fall in the lineup of my other responsibilities?–we can save ourselves a lot of anxiety. It helps us make sure more important things aren’t being left undone. It can also save rework caused by “jumping the gun” and starting a project whose details haven’t been fully hammered out. 

It would be great if leaders automatically communicated this context. Realistically, it doesn’t always happen.

Leaders are busy and can get distracted. It is best if employees own the job of working as efficiently as possible. Assume the communication ball is always in your court.

A few recommendations include:

• Get in the habit of asking for a deadline immediately when you receive a request.  

• If you have multiple requests with similar time frames, ask for help prioritizing. Never assume you know which comes first.

Even if you had an earlier conversation with your leader that makes one project seem more urgent, things may have changed. Leaders see a different picture. 

• Keep your to-do list updated and in front of your leader regularly (daily is ideal). That way they can know all the variables when helping you prioritize.

• If you know a task can be delegated to make things move more quickly, tell your leader. Maybe you don’t need to do it all yourself. Always be thinking about how you can work at the top of your licensure. This is better for you, the leader, and the organization. 

• Of course, do all you can to meet deadlines. But if you see that you aren’t going to, let your leader know immediately.

They might be able to help you get back on track–or at least it will give them time to let their boss or customers know an adjustment needs to be made. (By the way, you can help avoid this issue in the future by letting your boss know up front how long a task might take. In many cases, they might not know!)

These are just a few seemingly small habits that make a huge difference in your performance and how you experience your job. They help you get things done more efficiently with less frustration. It feels better to work this way, it helps your leader meet their goals, and it sets you up to be successful.

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Quint Studer is the author of 16 books on leadership in the workplace and the community. His book “Building a Vibrant Community” is a valuable resource for civic leaders, business owners, and all citizens who have a stake in building a community they can be proud to call home. He can be reached at Quint@QuintStuder.com.