Biggest Challenges Faced by a Partnership Manager at Island Press
Jen's biggest challenge as a Partnership Manager at Island Press is insufficient time to manage the significantly grown program, leading to feelings of guilt about not giving enough attention to important aspects of the work. This lack of time prevents the kind of in-depth research Jen previously enjoyed, exemplified by their statement, "I don't have the time to give to the topics that I feel like really deserve that."
Project Management, Time Management, Overcoming Challenges, Workplace Challenges, Stress Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jen Hawse
Partnership Manager
Island Press
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
N/A
Anthropology, Sociology
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Communication and Marketing
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. High workload and time management: Jen highlights the challenge of managing a large program independently, leading to feelings of being constantly behind and unable to dedicate sufficient time to all tasks.
2. Program growth and capacity limitations: Jen's program has expanded significantly, but the team size hasn't, resulting in limited capacity to handle the increased workload and explore new market opportunities.
3. Guilt and self-expectations: Jen expresses guilt over not being able to give enough to her work due to the high demands and limited time, highlighting the emotional toll of managing a large workload single-handedly.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
I'm one person managing an entire program, so there's really not a lot of time for me to get everything done. I always feel like there's so much more I could be giving and doing. I am often behind in my emails and apologizing for the delay.
When I started in this role, I've really grown the program a lot in the last six years. I had a lot more time for research. If we got a book and needed to get it into a different market, I had time to explore what that market looked like.
Now I'm so busy I don't have the time to give to the topics that I feel really deserve that. I have guilt around not being able to give enough of myself because there's only one of me, and I am running all the things.
We're a small team, and we just don't have the capacity to do as much as I'd like.