The Business Bulletin
You have the power, be brave and say “No”! The inspiration for this article came from my dog and her refusal to take no for an answer when eyeing up some sausages on the table. I remembered my dog trainer reminding me of the need to be the boss and be clear and assertive to get the message across that no meant no.
Now I’m not suggesting that you talk to other people like you talk to the dog but the underlying principle of being clear and assertive could save you a lot of time and trouble. I did a quick list off the top of my head of some of the times as a boss you need to say no. I’ve added some of the consequences that a simple clear no could have avoided. I expect you could add a few more examples quite easily. ■ Cold callers. They just keep
What’s your next excuse going
to make a decision they are
to be? “The cat died”
conceding that you have
■ Requests to sponsor. Everyone has their favourite charity who all run events and it’s “only a tenner”. How deep are your pockets? ■ Staff requests. From leaving early to coming in late. Lastminute days off or holiday. Who picks up their workload? Is it you or do you pile it onto
you on their list to phone again.
someone else’s desk who then
Or worse you end up agreeing
makes a request of their own?
to see them knowing you’re not going to buy which leads to the next item ■ Sales meeting. You’re not
■ Partners or managers. Agreeing a purchase over budget or a last-minute good idea they had which meant
going to buy but agree to a
they didn’t need to say no
follow-up call which you then
themselves to the cold caller.
have to field or more usually get someone to say “you’re in a meeting” which leads to a further call down the line. This can go on for months. ■ Invitations. To events you don’t want to attend. Now you’re saddled with making an excuse at the last moment. “a client had an emergency” . Never mind, you’re on their list so will get invited next time.
■ Informal recruitment. My Mum/son/friend can do that for you, even though they have no experience in that area. If any of this rings true then maybe it’s time to be clearer and more assertive. Here are some stages to work through to help you using examples drawn from the list. 1. Be in the right mind set. If this person is asking you
26 | Issue 12 – Strategy and Personal Development
the right to say “no” as well as saying “yes”. You have the power, so use it wisely. 2. Prepare in advance. Many of these decisions you can pre-empt with a little forethought and some simple policies. For example if you have policies around flexible working, how to book holidays, compassionate leave, etc. How is cover arranged? Does your receptionist have instructions on how to handle cold callers? Have you a process for requests over and
