My boss keeps adding more trade shows to my calendar, but I don’t have the time or staff to accommodate them. How do I convince him to cut back without looking weak?

To get what you need, you’re going to have to negotiate — giving your boss what he wants, but in a manner you can live with as well.

First, determine his reasons for increasing the number of trade shows on your calendar. Perhaps he wants to appear everywhere your competitors do, or he wants a certain number of sales leads every year. Then see if there are ways to achieve those goals other than by increasing the number of shows. For example, if it’s sales leads he wants, research the shows that typically produce the most leads, and then suggest increasing your efforts at them. At the same time, determine the least-productive shows, and recommend you stop exhibiting at them. What you’ll be negotiating, then, is fewer shows in exchange for equal or greater results, and perhaps lower annual costs.

If he’s still intransigent about increasing the exhibiting schedule, come at it from the opposite direction. Present a plan with a budget that includes enough additional staff and resources to achieve the desired results and reduce your workload. Explain that the plan benefits the company because you’ll be free to focus more on the results he wants. In both cases, present your ideas from a bottom-line perspective, as it will make you look strong and knowledgeable, not spineless.