Today’s Tuesday Reading is from Justin Sipher, Program Leader, Leadership Coach, and Consultant at MOR Associates. Justin may be reached at [email protected] or via LinkedIn.
“Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect for one’s superiors; care for one’s crew.” Grace Hopper
This sentiment from Grace Hopper really connects with me. If you don’t know, Grace was an accomplished leader and pioneer in the early days of Computer Science and served in the US Navy for almost 43 years, retiring in 1986 as Rear Admiral (one of the Navy’s few female Rear Admirals).
2026 is upon us and as we enter the new year we should take time to intentionally prioritize some of our leadership approaches for the year ahead. Last fall, I wrote an article on the need to shift one’s mindset when being asked to take on more. I received some positive feedback that it helped people as they approached this challenge in their work. In talking with a colleague, I realized that a companion article would be equally beneficial. This is that article. How do we, as managers and leaders who are asking our teams to take on more, do so successfully on all fronts?
Circumstances change continually in our professional lives. A leader’s responsibility is to balance competing objectives, especially when managing and leading within an organization. We deliver strategically impactful results. We create a work environment where people want to give their talent and their time.
As we know from being on the receiving end of the “take on more” conundrum, there are more realistic ways it can happen, just as there are ways that demoralize employees. Reflect on when you were asked to take on more and how it made you feel. This can help you be that leader who doesn’t just say “do more with less,” but instead helps ensure we are doing the most important with less.
Strategies When Asking More From Your Team
Use language intentionally.
When asking a teammate to take on more, be especially careful with language, starting with avoiding the word “just.” Phrases like “It’s just a small task” can unintentionally minimize the effort required or imply the employee should not feel stretched. Instead, a manager can name the request plainly and acknowledge that it adds real work, which helps the conversation feel respectful and grounded.
Reprioritize with existing work.
It’s also important to ask what the new assignment would compete with. Rather than assuming capacity, the manager invites the teammate into a prioritization discussion: What current work would this compete with? What might slow down? What might need to pause? Is anything already at risk? This creates shared visibility into workload and ensures that taking on more doesn’t come at the cost of burnout or hidden tradeoffs.
Reset expectations.
A related strategy is to slow expectations for other work. When someone agrees to absorb new responsibilities, the manager should help renegotiate deadlines, adjust deliverables, or reframe timelines with other stakeholders. This signals that shifting priorities is normal and that the manager is actively making space rather than expecting the teammate to simply “fit it in.”
Rebalance work.
Another leader’s responsibility is to offload tasks that are not as strategic. Managers can identify lower-value work that can be delegated, paused, or reassigned to free up capacity for the more meaningful or time-sensitive tasks. This doesn’t just reduce workload—it reinforces that the new assignment is genuinely important and worth making room for.
Communicate the impact.
Equally crucial is the manager’s role in clearing the roads. When priorities change, the manager—not the employee—should be the one who communicates those changes to others, explains delays, or resets expectations. Doing this removes the pressure on the teammate to deliver unwelcome news and prevents them from having to justify the shift in focus to colleagues or clients.
Express gratitude.
Instead of a quick thank-you, the manager can acknowledge the extra effort, name the value the teammate brings, and recognize the impact of their willingness to step up. Specific, heartfelt appreciation helps people feel seen and respected, which builds trust and strengthens the relationship even during demanding periods.
Join the Conversation
If you have been asked to take on more, or you are the manager doing the asking, and you’d like to discuss further with fellow MOR Alumni, consider joining our January MOR Alumni meetup on Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 (2–3 PM ET). During this session, I’ll facilitate exploring this topic, building on both Tuesday Readings mentioned. If you are a MOR program participant or alum, you can sign up to receive a calendar invite for this virtual sessions. For questions about our monthly alumni Zoom sessions, reach out to [email protected].
Which strategy would you most like to use more with your team?
Last time, we asked about facing setbacks, failure, or disappointment, and how often you “shot the second arrow” of suffering through resisting, judging, or blaming ourselves.
- 18% said always or almost always
- 38% said often
- 41% said sometimes
- 3% said never, or almost never
Shooting that second arrow is something almost all of our readers can relate to doing. As we consider the conundrum of “taking on more” and asking others to do the same, we focus on the limited time available to us and our teams and focusing on the strategically most important. Perhaps finding ways to lessen our habit of that second arrow is another strategy for generating and protecting capacity in our teams.