Yes means No

It is tough saying "No" when someone asks for your help or your commitment. We don't want to let down our peers, managers, friends, or family. We don't want them to think we lack the capability. And we want to develop the reputation as someone who always steps up to the plate.

Yet when we say "Yes" to these requests, we can get ourselves into trouble: overcommitting, working late, delivering sloppy work, and sometimes not even delivering. When we say No, we are freeing up time for our existing priorities. And conversely, when we say Yes, we are effectively saying No to something else: someone else's project, a professional objective, or family time. Yes means No.

This week's Action Item: Before you say Yes to anything else this week, run an inventory of how much time you have available to deliver on your already-existing promises. If you need all of that time to deliver, then use the magic word to make sure that you have it: just say No.

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Randall Craig speaks to groups about Career Development, Work-Life Balance, Networking, and other management topics. For more information, go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com, or contact Randall by email through editor@ptadvisors.com.

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Copyright © 2007 Knowledge to Action Press and Randall Craig. All rights reserved.

Publication Date: October 30, 2007