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Saying No at Work with Confidence and Grace
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Does saying no at work seem impossible for you? If you said, yes, then you are not alone.
Let me tell you about one of my clients who I’ll call Angie.
Angie, a senior director at an advertising agency, excelled in her role and was incredibly proud of the work she and her team accomplished. But, she struggled with turning off at the end of the day. Work worries followed her into her evenings, and she often found herself distracted by upcoming deadlines while at the dinner table. Saying no didn’t even feel like an option.
Then there’s Malik, a product lead at a software company.
Malik was identified as a star among his peers. He was not only smart and driven but also empathetic and kind. He loved to be helpful to others teams and volunteered himself to take on additional responsibilities. Though it helped his visibility, Malik paid a price. He found himself overwhelmed and overburdened by so many meetings that he had no time to get his actual work done. Yet he felt guilty saying no to requests that came his way.
