How To Say No: And Why It is Good for You

In a recent coaching session, I was working with a senior leader who felt as if she was heading for burnout. If she said yes to one more thing, she stated, it would be her undoing. But how could she say no—to her boss (and risk losing her job?), to her immediate colleagues (and risk being seen as a non-team player) to the head of another department (and risk not being seen as a colleague?). She was caught, and she knew it could not go on.

My client was right. She could not continue in this manner, seeing her work as a bucket to fill, yes even until it overflows, was not productive. She knew she had to find a way to stop, reassess and develop an approach that took her out of the potential disaster ahead. She needed to think more expansively, pay attention to what was important for her and her colleagues in this moment and create a sustainable solution to her dilemma.

Leadership, Partnerships, EmpathyJane MouldingMay 19, 2021workingfromhome, Pandemic, Flexibility, listening

KINDLY LISTEN UP

In reflecting on our observations of our clients over the past six months, we have noted a range of responses to the unusual situation in which we have all been living and working. Without question, each organization’s workforce has expressed an evolving set of emotions; what workers were feeling in the earliest stages of the pandemic has been largely replaced multiple times over as the duration of the crisis has lengthened. Keeping a finger on the pulse of employee needs and emotions has been one of our strongest recommendations to our clients; knowing where their workforce is “at” is a critical component of keeping employees engaged and productive. It also underscores the reality that what got workers engaged in February 2020 cannot be assumed to have the same effect in October of the same year.

Career success, Team-building, Leadership, Partnerships, EmpathyMarcie Schorr HirschDecember 23, 2020workingfromhome, Pandemic, Flexibility, listening