The One Phrase Highly Respected Employees That Get Promoted Quickly Aren’t Afraid To Say To Their Boss
Think success is all about being a "yes man"? Not according to this successful entrepreneur.
insta_photos | Shutterstock Many of us assume that to get ahead at work, we need to be agreeable, amenable, and willing to put the boss' and company's needs above our own. Yet one business owner says the opposite is true — that in reality, the road to success is mostly paved with one simple word we're often terrified to say at the office.
The entrepreneur says that highly respected employees who get promoted quickly aren't afraid to say no to their boss.
There are many variables at play here, of course. A lot of us have jobs or are at levels where this wouldn't fly, and some of us just have downright awful bosses who've never been told "no" in their lives by anyone, let alone an employee.
However, Tim Brown, founder of the Hook Agency, a successful marketing firm in Minneapolis, says that giving your boss a "no" is all about the delivery.
Once you master how to do it, the positive impacts of saying "no" — or, to put it another way, setting boundaries at work — can quickly start to pile up and shift perceptions of you in ways that lead to success.
Brown says saying 'no' at work shows you know how to prioritize the big picture.
Most of us do the opposite of course — we reflexively say yes to whatever's put in front of us, and then either privately stew about it or, even worse, become overwhelmed. That can quickly lead to both personal and professional disaster.
"You may feel you must always say yes to your boss at work … to be seen as a team player, but there are times when that just won’t work out," Brown said.
For example, I once had a boss who was adamant about only staying in four-star hotels, but on one trip the only one available was clear across town from the five meetings she had. She was pretty irritated that she spent the entire trip running late in traffic, and even more so when I told her why I'd booked it. "You could have just told me," she said, "I'm not going to perish if I stay in a Hampton Inn."
Granted, the perception she'd established over time was that she WOULD perish in a Hampton Inn, but still, pushing back would have saved her a ton of aggravation and won me a ton of respect and brownie points.
Brown says saying 'no' also shows you can manage logistics and are comfortable being a leader.
To illustrate this, Brown used time management as an example. When you're asked to take on another project, it's often the case that "you may need to focus on something else, or you’re already stretched too thin at your desk" — which means taking on even more would result in everything getting done poorly, if at all.
Putting your foot down instead of just blindly assenting not only saves your sanity but shows your superiors that "you can prioritize, delegate, and make smart decisions."
That in turn, "helps to earn your boss’s and coworkers’ respect … It lets them know you're serious about what’s best for the team and company." If your boss is any good at being a leader, that's precisely the kind of work ethic she or he is going to be looking for when it comes time to promote someone to a leadership position.
Saying 'no' at work is all about how you say it.
Now for the elephant in the room — a lot of us have bosses or supervisors who don't take kindly to 'no.' So what then? Well, some of them are just garbage people who shouldn't be a boss in the first place. But most of the time, Brown says, it's all about delivery.
He recommends being direct but amenable — state plainly that you're swamped or on a tight deadline, but add that you can make space for more tasks at a later time or can follow up in a bit when you have some space on your plate, for example. If you can be specific about when you'll be able to take on more, that's even better.
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He also says to keep things positive and upbeat by including things like, "Thanks for asking me," "I'd love to help tomorrow," or "That's right up my alley, but…" These show that you're a proactive go-getter, but not one willing to sacrifice the quality of one project for another.
"Saying no to your boss in the right way will demonstrate your tact, your honesty, your willingness to delegate — and that you know your limits," Brown added. That's beneficial for every aspect of your professional life.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.