Here's how you can navigate a boss who consistently sets unrealistic deadlines or expectations.

It's important to have regular feedback with your boss. Probably, the unrealistic objective comes from the misunderstanding between the amount of work that you have and the amount of work that your boss is assuming that you have. But, if you are front to this kind of case, another approach to have could be ask for a priorization of your tasks with your boss. As an example, you may say: "there is no problem with that, but we have to talk about the priority of this task. Is it higher or lower than..."

When tackling unrealistic deadlines, it's important to assess not only the project's scope and resources but also the underlying assumptions driving the timeline. Consider if there's room for negotiation or if certain aspects can be prioritized to meet the most critical objectives first. Also, fostering open communication with your team and stakeholders can lead to innovative solutions or alternative approaches that might not have been considered initially, ultimately leading to more achievable and successful outcomes.

Para conseguir objetivos productivos debes tener los recursos necesarios para poder alcanzar las metas trazadas, la gerencia sabe que no se llega porque no existe la apertura completa de las empresas que van de la mano y no cae en su personal

From experience, a lot of bosses often set unrealistic targets some by design and others by irrationality. As an employee, the first thing to understand is what can possibly be delivered considering full time deployment of resources at hand and considering additional resources that could be deployed at short notice. When this premise has been established, you can now comfortably approach your boss preferably through a written proposal outlining the existing resources and outputs from those resources. With this done, the boss might then require further concertation with you to properly examine if targets are being met or not. Also, budgeting is a must in most organizations and a very good tool in controlling unrealistic deadlines from boss

Los plazos poco realistas conllevan a resultados nada realistas. Es crucial que desde la gerencia y se fijen metas de acuerdo a los recursos que la empresa posee. Por otro lado, es importante trasladar los plazos a la gerencia, teniendo consigo una información de calidad.

To manage a boss who consistently sets unrealistic deadlines, follow these strategies: clarify expectations, provide feedback, educate your boss, negotiate realistic deadlines, prioritize and delegate tasks, manage scope creep, document communication, seek support, focus on results, and evaluate long-term fit. Clarify expectations, provide feedback, educate your boss, negotiate realistic deadlines, prioritize tasks, manage scope creep, document communication, seek support, focus on delivering results, and evaluate the long-term fit of your relationship with your boss. These strategies can help you maintain a healthy work-life balance and avoid burnout.

Openly communicate with your boss, even if it sounds like something they don't want to hear. If you allow an impossible task to push through without raising your concern, it will be bad for everyone when it fails. It will look bad on you especially if you didn't say anytbing beforehand.

Analisar o caso com maior objetividade possível seria o primeiro passo! Muitas vezes a pessoa que vai executar o trabalho é quem de fato tem a capacidade de analisar as etapas que este trabalho exige e os recuros e prazos envolvidos. Ao analisar o caso com objetividade você consegue identificar quais partes do trabalho necessitam mais ou menos tempo e deste modo organizar os próximos passos de forma a alinhar expectativas e melhor definir o timeline de entregas. Ser claro e objetivo e sempre positivo de forma a mostrar que se importa com a qualidade e tempo de entrega.

Coming from a VERY traditional South Korean background (ethnic-wise); & growing up in a family where our ENTIRE family (both sides) were guided through life by my Paternal Grandfather, who was a Senator in South Korea during the 50s & 60s; our work ethic was inherently always "under-pressure" in order to fill his shoes. This constant "fear" or "anxiety" emblazoned an ideology that "you MUST always do better, work harder, smarter, faster.."; & although it felt "unrealistic/unreasonable" at the time; its come to my attention that this type of "hard-love" is quite necessary to build an everlasting "habit" of trying to overachieve & beating the odds. That's why I think the older South Korean generation are still this way and will never change.

Initiating an open dialogue with your boss can help address unrealistic deadlines effectively and can build a trust between the two. By approaching the conversation respectfully and collaboratively, you create an environment conducive to finding mutually beneficial solutions, that both can agree too. Clearly articulating the challenges you're facing and offering alternative suggestions demonstrates proactive problem-solving and commitment to quality work. This open communication fosters understanding and allows for adjustments that prioritize both project success and well-being of both you and your senior, ultimately leading to a more feasible and sustainable plan.

When initiating an open dialogue with your boss about unrealistic deadlines, frame the conversation as a collaborative effort rather than a confrontation. Highlight the potential risks associated with rushing the project and emphasize the long-term benefits of a more realistic timeline. Also, suggest strategies to mitigate the impact of any delays, such as focusing on essential features first or reallocating resources

Lo primero es ver como y cuando podremos realizarlo, conversando con fundamentos el porque no es alcanzable en el tiempo que se pretende. Muchas veces se colocan deadlines poco realistas para lograr un plazo un poco mejor al que es esperable o simplemente alguien en un puesto de mayor rango ha perdido la dimensión del tiempo que pueden llevar las tareas más operativas y es bueno en esos casos comunicarse francamente con el equipo para establecer metas y objetivos más realistas

Ser positivo é uma qualidade que poucas pessoas entendem. Uma atitude positiva é aquela na qual expomos nossa visão mas sem tom de critica, ao inves disso usamos um tom construtivo e colaborativo para chegarmos ao resultado que a empresa ou a equipe precisa. Ser honesto, leal e verdadeiro de form respeitosa e positiva sempre leval a um entendimento mais rapido e mais eficiente.

Según mi experiencia, es importante expresarnos a nuestro jefe cuando los plazos son demasiados cortos, lo que conlleva a presentar información de la que no se esta seguro si es la correcta. Es mejor tomarse un día mas, que tomar una decisión mal.

In my humble opinion, I think this question is super irrelevant. If you need to take extra time out of the day to "initiate an open dialog with your boss", then you don't have a good boss. The boss is the boss because I'm assuming that individual has already been in your position before, so rather than having to waste time & resources to "gently explain with careful words" on why you need more time.... well... yeah. Cut to the chase, and work out a resolution. I honestly don't understand why people's feelings get hurt over instructions that must be performed. Are you going to cry to your boss because "there's too many pieces in the Harry Potter Goblet of Fire Lego Set"? I understand deadlines VERY well; 3 word solution: Get 'R Done.

Explore discussing the concept of diminishing returns, which suggests that as you push for faster delivery, the quality of work may suffer. By illustrating how a more balanced approach can lead to higher-quality outcomes and potentially lower overall costs in the long run, you can make a compelling argument for revisiting the deadlines. Also, highlighting the importance of employee well-being and morale in achieving long-term success can further underscore the benefits of more manageable timelines.

By emphasizing that time spent on one task comes at the expense of potentially more valuable opportunities, you can illustrate the importance of realistic deadlines. Demonstrating how more realistic deadlines enable better resource allocation and increased productivity can lead to higher-quality outputs and improved overall efficiency. This approach can contribute to a healthier bottom line for the company by maximizing the value of time and resources invested in projects.

O famoso conceito de “trade- off” ! Toda escolha tem seus pros e contras, um projeto ou atividade sempre terá partes que são essenciais para seu sucesso e partes que são “nice to have” . Poder discutir esses pontos com seu chefe e definir em conjunto as atividade que são essenciais e prioritárias dará mais autonomia e melhor resultados para todos.

Con paciencia y buen humor, suelen decir cuando el estrés por no tener tiempo de afrenta. Es importante poder distribuir el tiempo en todos los pendientes, sin descuidar en demasía alguno de ellos. A mayor plazo, mayor calidad.

Rarely have I ever found anybody in the Corporate workforce willingly wanting to go out of their way to "take on more work". However, if we're talking about "opportunity costs" such as adding someone to cc that may be interested or beneficial in an email chain, or reaching out to someone else/pitching-in your experience(s)/knowledge to help out with whatever issue the team is dealing with, I wouldn't that's an opportunity cost but a plain old thing called "teamwork". These questions have left me scratching my head... confirming that the "issues" in mainstream corporate is rearing it's ugly head.. people are lazy and they're usually the ones at the top (please don't get me started on the newer generations 😅).

Making Clear boundaries of where to stop and not cross should be set and maintained without any exceptions! If you make exemptions, it will create more trouble to your mental health and professional life. Clearly communicating your working hours, peak productivity periods, and the need for work-life balance to your boss establishes expectations and helps prevent burnout.

Be firm. If you make exemptions to your boundaries, people will keep crossing them. Don't explain your personal life but you can offer some recourse. But be firm with your boundaries.

Mais do que comunicar, voce precisa saber seus limites. Nem todas as pessoas conseguem identificar ate onde seu trabalho é saudavel e acabam se frustando ou chegando em situacao de burn out antes mesmo que percebam ou possam comunicar esses limites aos seus colegas e superiores. Tire um tempo para se analisar e pense em como voce se sente bem e motivado a atingir seus objetivos sem colocar sua saúde em risco.

An important point is offer alternatives, suggest more reasonable deadlines or propose breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable chunks to meet the overall objective.

Sugira caminhos alternativos e peça ajuda de colegas e outras areas que podem “outsource” ou auxiliar na conclusão do projeto ou trabalho em questao. Colaboração é chave para atingir os objetivos estipulados.

Ask boss to help prioritize tasks. Understanding what is most critical can help manage workloads more effectively and ensure that the most important projects are completed first.

Monitoring project outcomes and processes is crucial for continuous improvement and adaptation, that can hinder or affect the project. Regular reflection allows you to assess what worked well and what could be improved upon in each project, and you can follow up in it. Keep track of key metrics such as project timelines, resource utilization, and quality of deliverables to identify areas for enhancement.

First thing you must do, is to show enthusiasm and optimistic of the possibility even when you know is unrealistic. Every human has a MIND SPACE theory of behaviour. As your boss, the expectation is to obey, before complain. Let the gap of unrealistic deadlines be so obvious, while you are doing what's required. Then, he/she will call for no-cost extension as the situation warrant, then everyone will be happy again. Sometimes, that approach will help shape the sensitivity of your boss towards future tasks

Instead of just pointing out problems with the deadlines, focus on finding and suggesting solutions. This shows that you are committed to getting the work done.