Rearranging Priorities When You Have “Too Many Hats”

The Potential For Cluttered Closets

I often comment that policy professionals are a unique group of people.

Our coworkers don’t completely understand our passion for policy, let alone the timelines associated with the policy process. They are aware of some of our skills, but not necessarily the many hats we wear behind the scenes due to the amount of autonomy we have in our positions. Despite juggling additional tasks along with our established responsibilities, many of us would enthusiastically affirm that we chose policy as a career path due to the meaningful change we see across the academy based on the work we are involved in.

That said, our passion for creating positive change can make it difficult for us to decline opportunities to employ our niche skills when we are requested elsewhere across the institution. Before we know it, our policy closet is filled with hats of all sorts. It looks like we’ve hit a big sale, except . . . we already had a favorite hat, maybe a few lost in the back of our closet, and we didn’t get rid of any old hats to make room for the new ones. An overflowing closet can become overwhelming, but sorting through it and establishing boundaries can help us maintain that peculiar passion for all things policy while keeping our closets organized.

New Hats Can Be Fun, But A Messy Closet Is Overwhelming

The bulk of policy work is work we do independently and behind the scenes, which can result in numerous requests for our information analysis skills, our keen eye for detail, and our comprehensive planning strategies.

In my case, as an employee dedicated to a research office, it can involve assisting an agreements group, advising on community partnerships, navigating culturally appropriate methods of conducting research, sitting on ad hoc committees, and assisting with strategic plan development, all while prioritizing my everyday policy-related needs. Being involved in these additional projects is usually a nice change of pace.

Of course, the policy process can be long and lonely, so working with colleagues across campus on various initiatives and representing an office on ad-hoc committees can provide the little break we sometimes need from the frustrations of policy planning and programming. Personally, being involved with ACUPA and lending my skills elsewhere on campus re-ignite the passion I have for policy work, but possessing the niche skills of a policy specialist can lead to big or frequent donations of hats, as well as the gift of many new hats to our closets if we aren’t careful.

Communicating Your Closet Contents To Others

Years ago, when managing a non-profit program for individuals experiencing mental illness who found their diagnoses negatively impacted their work lives, I spent a lot of time training employees and those we supported to recognize their limits in the workplace, to advocate for themselves, and to respectfully set boundaries with employers. Now, having returned to work in academia where my skills can be spread thin due to requests outside of my core duties, I often remind myself of the importance of establishing boundaries at work so as to keep my policy closet tidy.

In my current position, this means having to politely decline when asked to independently draft campus-wide policies that are out of my scope, while still offering to be part of working groups and carving out time to review a draft in its entirety prior to consultation. It also involves reminding others that I work in a policy position dedicated to the research office, and therefore, my top priority in any project is to ensure researchers, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows are considered and appropriately represented in policies external to our office.

Along with that, having regularly scheduled, honest conversations and check-ins with senior management is extremely important. Policy positions, job responsibilities, and priorities all expand and change over time, so re-evaluating responsibilities and advocating for change within our positions is necessary or our closets become overwhelming.

Purging And Re-evaluating Closet Contents Is Advantageous For Everyone

Ultimately, advocating for yourself and politely setting boundaries is advantageous not only to you, the employee, but often positively impacts the office or unit you work in because you are then better able to focus on their needs and priorities rather than getting sucked into every possible project. Having those conversations with senior management doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be required to stretch yourself now and then to pitch in. Revealing your closet contents, reevaluating them, and rearranging them, however, can help keep you passionate about the work you do, while providing more balance in your work life, and oftentimes, your home life, which is something most of us need more than we are willing to admit.

What’s In Your Policy Closet?

What does your policy closet look like? Is it small and stuffed to the brim? Do you have a well-organized walk-in closet? How many hats do you have? Do you have a favorite hat or a least favorite hat? Are there hats lost in the back of your closet? Tell us in the comments below.

Note for ACUPA members: Check out the ACUPA Sample Job Descriptions webpage for examples of the numerous roles and responsibilities of policy professionals. These have been provided by policy administrators at multiple institutions and can be valuable resources when evaluating priorities and responsibilities.