They say
“If I take this on, what should I drop?”
Your response
“You’re right to ask. I’ll decide what stops, moves, or goes to someone else before I add this to your priorities. Let’s look at the current list now.”
01
First, check this
Are you willing to remove or delay existing work, or are you expecting the employee to absorb every new request?
02
Why this works
This is constructive pushback, not resistance. The employee is asking the manager to perform the essential work of prioritization. Naming what stops, moves, or changes owner makes the new assignment credible and protects existing commitments from silent failure. It also keeps the employee from having to guess which missed deadline the manager will consider least serious later.
03
Don’t say
“It’s all a priority.”