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Description

Supporting Multiple Managers: Prioritising, Negotiating and Meeting Deadlines

Support several managers with differing expectations without absorbing every urgency or becoming permanently unavailable

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Three managers request the same deliverable for the same day and each considers their request the priority. The assistant accepts everything, then realises the workload cannot be delivered. Trade-offs end up being made under pressure, usually in favour of whoever insists most or ranks highest.

Two days to build an explicit working arrangement with each manager: rules for making requests, shared priority criteria, and the right way to commit to a deadline or renegotiate it. The most frequent points of friction are rehearsed until a workable form of words is found.

Learning objectives

  • Agree explicit request rules with each manager
  • Rank competing requests using shared criteria
  • Commit to a realistic deadline and either meet it or renegotiate in time
  • Decline or defer a request without damaging the relationship
  • Make your workload visible to those who assign you work

What makes this programme different

Prioritisation is practised on genuinely competing requests brought by participants
A working agreement is drafted for each of the participant's managers
Wording for declining requests is tested and refined until it becomes workable

Programme

1Mapping the people you support

Understanding what each manager really expects

  • List the managers you support and the nature of their requests
  • Identify each manager's working style and points of irritation
  • Measure the actual workload generated by each area of support
  • Identify areas of overlap and potential conflict

2Formalising the working arrangement

Setting the rules before the crisis

  • Prepare a framing discussion with each manager
  • Set out standard turnaround times and channels for requests
  • Define what genuinely counts as urgent and what does not
  • Have the rules validated and make them visible

3Arbitrating competing requests

Deciding quickly with sound criteria

  • Apply priority criteria that managers are aware of
  • Distinguish genuine urgency from perceived urgency
  • Have the managers themselves resolve priority conflicts
  • Keep a record of decisions taken so they can be explained

4Protecting the relationship under pressure

Saying no without breaking the relationship

  • Announce a deadline that does not match expectations
  • Decline a request while offering an alternative
  • Flag an overload before it causes an incident
  • Repair the relationship after a poorly received decision

Who is it for

Administrative assistants and secretaries supporting several managers within the same department or across different departments.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.