In 1996, a decision was made to build a new terminal at Detroit Metro Airport, allowing it to become Northwest Airlines’ second-largest hub and gateway to Asia. James Greenwald, Northwest’s VP of facilities and airport affairs, oversaw this massive project in addition to doing his “regular job” supervising all the other facilities and airports.
When asked how he accomplished this, Greenwald replied, “I work four days a week in Detroit and four days a week in Minneapolis [HQ].” I’m sure it felt that way for several years.
It’s not unusual for organizations to expect their people to handle extra responsibilities and somehow absorb them into their existing roles as if they have the capacity to do so — but why is this the norm? I was once asked to become acting director of admissions for a year — and to continue ownership of my VP role. I know a director who became responsible for a fundraising and building project — while simultaneously doing his day job. Others are expected to oversee projects, implement grants, teach an extra class, or fill in for a vacancy — all while fulfilling their original roles.
Greenwald may have been willing (and well compensated) to work ‘eight days a week,’ but that is not the case for many of today’s workers who don’t want to sacrifice non-work hours in service of the organization. Before you add another major chunk of responsibilities to someone’s plate, be clear about what they can stop doing to sanely handle it.
