At work, I say "no" therefore I exist
14 January 2015
Read by 2287 persons
For more than three years you have been in your position and you have constantly agreed, in order to help and be appreciated, to lend a hand, to help out, to relieve your colleagues, the best and the worst, to the detriment of your own work within the company?
Stop! It is time to say "stop", for you but also for your image! Knowing how to say no, with skill and elegance, is also to exist a little more, in this often arid and ungrateful world.
Learn to assert yourself by daring to say NO
Last-minute services, elevator rescues, various and sundry IT assistance, you don't know how to refuse? Take the time to analyze the problem: you are not supposed (and even less obliged) to carry on your shoulders this file that is not yours and which has been botched, nor are you obliged to go to lunch or dinner with your colleagues when you are already stressed and overwhelmed...
You wanted to say "no" but your mouth said "yes"? Why? What are your conscious and unconscious reasons? Search within yourself, dare to investigate. Are you trying to be appreciated, recognized, loved, valued, rewarded, or even simply accepted? Bad reasons! Learn to articulate this word: "no". Practice. Put Post-it notes on your computer screen, tie a knot in your handkerchief, put labels on your fridge, at home... But dare!
Also, think about defining and redefining your limits: what are you able to accept? In what circumstances and for what kind of people? What are the barriers not to cross?
Give yourself the time and the right to think before responding to a request. A few minutes of reflection before deciding and saying. Obviously, the first "no" is costly, it is not easy to articulate, but you will increasingly become aware of the advantages of being the true master of your professional decisions, even if these are minimal.
The advantages of NO
Yes, yes, there are advantages to saying "no"... Understand here that knowing how to refuse diplomatically is knowing how to assert yourself and be respected! You will quickly find that this new state of affairs improves your working relationships and conditions: you manage your time more easily and the quality of your work is greatly improved.
Say NO with intelligence and tact
Saying no is pronouncing three letters, of course, but with respect for form. So, pronounce this little word without anger, without bitterness, without nervousness,... and without justifying yourself! It is not at all necessary to apologize or to embark on endless explanations. You are absolutely in your right. Aggressiveness has no place, nor reason to be.
However, you can, if you wish, put forward a few arguments to your interlocutor to explain your refusal and thus allow him to receive your answer better. It's up to you to dose and dare....
The ReKrute.com Team
Stop! It is time to say "stop", for you but also for your image! Knowing how to say no, with skill and elegance, is also to exist a little more, in this often arid and ungrateful world.
Learn to assert yourself by daring to say NO
Last-minute services, elevator rescues, various and sundry IT assistance, you don't know how to refuse? Take the time to analyze the problem: you are not supposed (and even less obliged) to carry on your shoulders this file that is not yours and which has been botched, nor are you obliged to go to lunch or dinner with your colleagues when you are already stressed and overwhelmed...
You wanted to say "no" but your mouth said "yes"? Why? What are your conscious and unconscious reasons? Search within yourself, dare to investigate. Are you trying to be appreciated, recognized, loved, valued, rewarded, or even simply accepted? Bad reasons! Learn to articulate this word: "no". Practice. Put Post-it notes on your computer screen, tie a knot in your handkerchief, put labels on your fridge, at home... But dare!
Also, think about defining and redefining your limits: what are you able to accept? In what circumstances and for what kind of people? What are the barriers not to cross?
Give yourself the time and the right to think before responding to a request. A few minutes of reflection before deciding and saying. Obviously, the first "no" is costly, it is not easy to articulate, but you will increasingly become aware of the advantages of being the true master of your professional decisions, even if these are minimal.
The advantages of NO
Yes, yes, there are advantages to saying "no"... Understand here that knowing how to refuse diplomatically is knowing how to assert yourself and be respected! You will quickly find that this new state of affairs improves your working relationships and conditions: you manage your time more easily and the quality of your work is greatly improved.
Say NO with intelligence and tact
Saying no is pronouncing three letters, of course, but with respect for form. So, pronounce this little word without anger, without bitterness, without nervousness,... and without justifying yourself! It is not at all necessary to apologize or to embark on endless explanations. You are absolutely in your right. Aggressiveness has no place, nor reason to be.
However, you can, if you wish, put forward a few arguments to your interlocutor to explain your refusal and thus allow him to receive your answer better. It's up to you to dose and dare....
The ReKrute.com Team
