Saying No: Your Success Depends On It For many reasons, saying "no" in the workplace is often a challenge. Use these 5 strategies to avoid this common pitfall
In the past couple of days several articles have appeared, almost simultaneously, on the subject of saying ‘no’. This is probably an antidote to the flurry of new year’s resolutions that occurred at the start of this month.
One article, in Psychology Today, focuses on several specific techniques to master the art of saying no. The second, in the New York Times, identifies one rather simple approach to help with the same key behaviour – turning down additional inbound commitments and activities that don’t really fit with your game plan.
As I think about my recent experience in a large project in the health care sector, this challenge is not unique on just the personal level, it’s endemic within companies as well. There’s a clear tendency to want to do more, without a corresponding ‘rethink’ on what initiatives will need to be adjusted, deferred or even dropped if the new commitment is adopted.
The fact is, many of us in business have never really learned how to say no. Reasons for this inability are wide ranging, but they typically...... (cont'd) |
