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Career Moves - P.O.W.E.R.
By Jim Pawlak
The busiest people are always the ones who are asked to do more. Why? They always seem to find a way to get it done. If you're one of those busy people who constantly juggle priorities to accommodate others, it's time you asked yourself: "When should I say 'No'?".
While it's great to help others, "No" is the only option when time is tight and you're asked to do something that keeps you from working toward your own goals. In "No! How One Simple Word Can Transform Your Life" by Jana Kemp (AMACOM, $12.95), you'll learn that saying "NO" deals with P-O-W-E-R based decisions. Start the book by completing 21-question "The Power of No Self-Assessment" in Appendix B; it sets the stage for understanding P-O-W-E-R.
P = PURPOSE. Understand why something must be done and the benefit derived from the parties involved in the doing. When your manager makes the decision for you (e.g. asks you to bail out a coworker, juggles your priorities for you, etc.), you can always respond: "Tell me what you want done and what goes on the backburner." It's a different scenario when coworkers ask for your help (i.e. in the name of teamwork, you spend your time doing a portion of their work and they derive most of the benefit). You need a response that says "No" without burning bridges. And, even if you have time to help, you need to consider if saying "No" is in a coworker's best interests; he/she learns nothing if you act as an enabler.
O = OPTIONS. If not you, who? Just because someone thought of you and dropped "it" in your in-basket doesn't mean "it" belongs there. Think about people whose skills are well-suited (better-suited?) to the task. Go back to the person who gave you the assignment. Talk with her/him using a "this is right down their alley" approach and explain your workload situation. If you are still "the one", so be it.
W = WHEN. Things to consider: Is the deadline realistic? What happens if it's not met? You have to manage your priorities because there's a domino effect - as a deadline looms, you spend your efforts trying to meet it. That means progress stops on your other projects which makes it more difficult to meet their deadlines. If you add a project (i.e. you DON'T say "No".), you've dug your own hole.
Some people look at short-fuse projects as opportunities to impress management. More often than not, such projects are poorly planned; over-promising and under-delivering won't impress.
E = EMOTIONAL TIES. People are flattered when they are asked to help. They feel important. They feel recognized. It's difficult to say "No" to recognition from your bosses and peers. There's also part of the human psyche that has a built-in "helper switch"; it seems to turn on automatically when we see someone struggling to do something.
Then there's the emotional tie of being a mentor to one of the new people. And the need for being accepted as a team member. There's so much emotional baggage at work, that saying "No" is difficult because you're afraid someone will be offended. How will that make us feel?
R = RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITES. We owe it to ourselves and our employers to do the best job we can. That means we can't operate on overload for any length of time. Saying "No" prevents overload and helps ensure consistent performance.
Kemp points out that your "No" must be clearly understood. Waffling messages are non-answers that will bring back the askers time again and again. Waffling messages include: "I'll think about it and get back to you." "I'll have to check with..." "I'm not sure."
Kemp makes the solid point that employing P-O-W-E-R when deciding if to say "No" also means that one knows when to say "Yes".
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