The secret to success in my new job

Into the 2nd week of the new job and it is clear that there is simply too much going on and a distinct lack of focus. I'm reminded of a Dilbert cartoon, the dialogue of which goes something like this:

Dilbert - You've given me too many tasks to do

Dilbert - How would you like me to fail? I can do one and drop the ball on the others, or I can do them all badly and to a very poor quality

Manager - That course in inactive listening I did recently seems to be paying off

Manager - I want it all done by tomorrow

I am going to have to choose the top 3 priorities and get people to accept that they cannot be changed on a whim and that I need to focus on them and achieve concrete results rather than simply hop from one issue to another which seems to be the current practice and expectation. We will have to see how receptive they are to that suggestion.

On another note, I spent the day at Cranfield University today. Turns out it is the last ever ICPM forum as their funding has been snatched to pay for other things. This is sad news on two fronts; (1) a useful best practices forum is gone and (2) some good people have effectively lost their jobs, amongst them, the director of the ICPM, Dr Harvey Maylor, an all round good bloke (for an academic). I wish him well in whatever he does next.