Top Priority?

Maybe. I just now got an email with the subject line “highest priority today above all else” Seriously. Where did this one come from? God? Well, I think that settles it, that’s what I’ll start working on now until I get another email that escalates the priority level. And it will happen; perhaps before I even finish this blog-entry.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever written on this subject, but find it fascinating. Here, the word “top priority” is synonymous with “task.” If you get a top priority it just means do this. It is the base-level; that’s where we start. It is management’s way of emphasizing the importance of every little mundane task, project, presentation. But how do we prioritize? By saying this is your Top, Top, or Top, Top, Top Priority, of course. I have received those emails. Another variation would be --- “drop everything you are doing, we have a new priority.” I love that. And how do I respond? I don’t. I just smile and do. My boss once, giving me and my co-workers a prep-talk told us we were “robots.” No joke. This is ironic because I once referred to her as a robot in an email. This was in response to one of the times my workload got to a laughably out-of-control level and one of my co-workers tried to speak up for me and say, “but wait.. Craig is working on X, Y, and Z.” She responded “That’s fine, but this still needs to be done.” No emotion, no compassion, no giving a fuck. I thought I’d be crafty and write said email in French because our emails are read, but unfortunately what I wrote amounted to “appelé mon patron "un robot". Yeah… Let’s not be delusional --- I’m not that smart.

Anyway, I supposed I should read her email now. Quick skim – she used the word “crucial” twice, and also said I should take this “very seriously.” I suppose I should start now.