Ask HN: How to handle a boss/owner who has ADD task focus?

7 points by codingstuffs 6 years ago | 8 comments

I work for a small startup where my boss and the owner are the same person. The issue is that whenever they think of a task or see a problem, that becomes #1 priority (despite the level of impact/severity, or if I am working on something else that was assigned).

This is very wearing, as I have to switch focus often to something that doesn't matter that much, and often my boss forgets about afterwards. Any discussion about prioritization he takes as challenging his authority, and becomes upset and dismissive. It feels like I have no input, and am just a machine to do tasks.

Is there a better way I should be dealing with this situation? Has anyone else been in the same situation and learned how to handle it better?

dfeojm-zlib 6 years ago |

Adopt strict GTD task stacks available for others to see:

- Current task(s)

- Immediate next queue (priority adjustments, new items can be added by boss)

- Deferred items

- Delegated items

- Medium-term items

- Long-term items

Some task app(s) can help with this. If you want people to know you're working on real stuff, ask for a big cheap monitor and cheap tiny PC/RPi to present your "dashboard."

To handle the OP's exact example:

X: current task

Y: proposed new task

"Do you want X done first, or do you want me to pause X and switch to Y?"

GTD -> https://gettingthingsdone.com

At times, people with ADD need a linear, focused "turtle" to counterbalance nonlinear, "rabbit" task-hopping.

Disclaimer: I take clonidine and strattera.

codingslave 6 years ago |

It's really hard to change people, either go work somewhere else, or tell him you need some kind of task tracking system in JIRA.

codingstuffs 6 years ago | |

Probably will end up having to change jobs - I suppose asking for a task tracking system to use in the meantime couldn't hurt though. Appreciate the suggestion.

shoo 6 years ago |

i agree that using a task tracking system (JIRA, trello, github issues, whatever) is a good idea, if only to help you remember how far you got doing a thing before you got task-switched, and to help provide evidence of why things might not be getting done efficiently.

some of this can be mitigated by having more people involved, if that is a possibility. so there is a layer shielding you from the owner's direct involvement, and so your boss is different to the owner, and the owner is treated like an eager but somewhat difficult client.

suppose someone is hired or is willing to sacrifice themselves to act as team lead. the team lead's main job is managing the owner to get clear priorities, and shielding the dev team from being micromanaged.

You can probably improve things by reducing how agile and responsive your current dev process is to changes in priorities at the whim of the owner, since the owner is currently not giving effective direction.

You can reduce agility and responsiveness in this context by introducing a capital-A agile process, such as Scrum. E.g. Start doing 2 week sprints. You and your colleagues are willing to completely change your priorities based on the latest whims/priorities/requirements of the owner, but only at the start of each sprint when you are committing to which tasks you plan to do.

If you have someone willing to play team lead or scrum master, they need to be on call all the time to shield the dev team from the owner's latest attempt to task switch or change priorities during a sprint. The owner's concerns and priorities are always important, and can be raised at any time, and the team lead listens carefully and helps the owner spec them into tickets in the issue tracker, and consider their priority. at the start of the next 2 week sprint cycle the owner and team lead and team sit together and agree on what is the highest priority, and how much work to attempt to commit to.

All that said

> Any discussion about prioritization he takes as challenging his authority, and becomes upset and dismissive

this is not a positive sign. it is usually a good idea to be interviewing and cultivating other opportunities for work. if you are early in your career and now have a bit of experience, you might also get a decent pay rise out of it. consider joining an org that isn't a startup -- some mature small/medium business, or a larger org that has a more professional work culture and has some understanding of management.

codingstuffs 6 years ago | |

Thanks for the reply - adding a better task tracking system is something that I'll look at adding immediately (if only just for myself).

> some of this can be mitigated by having more people involved

This is definitely a good point - we really are missing some sort of lead or manager to filter things for the devs.

> consider joining an org that isn't a startup -- some mature small/medium business, or a larger org that has a more professional work culture and has some understanding of management.

This is something I have come to appreciate during this process, and after you mentioned it, I do think working at a startup might just not be for me and my personality.

I really appreciate all the points you made - I think now I have some good steps to go forward with.

andrei_says_ 6 years ago |

Track your tasks and ask him if the new task has the highest priority. If sincerity is an option, inform him of the cost of interruptions when someone is doing deep work. Propose a system for following up on and completing tasks.

codingstuffs 6 years ago | |

I like the idea of asking if the new task is top priority.

At the end of the day what he says goes, so if it really is what he wants, better to make it clear, and then say, ok, I will then prioritize the new Task B instead of Task A and set expectations.

JohnnyHero 6 years ago |

You are referring to a common characteristic of entrepreneurial types. Depending on how self aware they are, you might be able to discuss things directly as they come up. You might frame things like this "I hear you telling me to give this new project my immediate attention, does that mean you wish me to deprioritize my current projects A, B & C?". A lot of times that context will jolt the owners brain and cause a reassessment.

On this flip side, this type of owner is often self obsorbed and unable to get perspective. These types will rarely be responsive to immediate feedback that counters their pet project. It is best to circle back at the end of the day and approach with a question of how they would solve the problem you have with prioritizing existing projects. Most people are able to "get real" about expectations after the inital heat of the idea has a chance to mature. I'd frame the discussion like this "Here are the challenges i've discovered while executing your new project, I need your input on how to solve or overcome some of these issues." When the owner is faced with the various hurdles that have to be overcome he/she may reassess the importance of the original project. On the other hand, don't create roadblocks just because you don't like the project, as it will be obvious and may cause them too decide that you are not the employee they thought you were.

relationships are difficult lol. however since you are an employee, it is your job to perform the duties given whether you like them or not. So either be a contributor or move on...