How to Say No and Become More Productive

Hi and welcome back to Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle podcast. This is Francis Wade and here's an article I wrote for the Jamaica Gleaner. It's entitled: How to Say No and Become More Productive. Is there a way to turn down requests from other people and thereby increase your productivity? In the changing world we live in, you may have to say no. More nos. If you want to get something done, ask a busy person. This old saying has an element of truth. There are certain people who are able to manage scores and hundreds of tasks at a time without a single one falling through the cracks. If they agree to add your task to their list, consider yourself privileged. There's a high chance it will be done with quality. However, experience suggests that the quote should be changed slightly to add a coda: "But they are likely to say no." The fact is, these busy people are black and white with their yeses and also their nos. In order to reliably deliver, they must say no to many others. Even worse, as their reputation grows, they turn down far more tasks than they accept. As such, their calendar might be full, but what is it full of? Carefully created tasks which they juggle with precision. They have balanced all the demands in their life and chosen the right blend of commitments. How are they able to pull off this trick? 1. Manage tasks using a list or calendar. As you imagine, they don't use memory to manage their tasks. There are too many. Instead, they have a system set up using lists and/or a calendar. They treat their tasks with importance and their time as a limited and precious resource. When someone asks them to complete a task, they don't accept right away. They pause. Their pregnant pause is not meant to be rude but to consider as a serious professional what they should commit themselves to. Which prior commitments should be denied or postponed? It's a bit like visiting the doctor. Your medical practitioner doesn't tell you which medication to take based on your supposed list of symptoms. Instead, he or she performs a trained diagnosis. Their professional code of ethics guides them. If there were such a code for the rest of us, it could be I don't dispense time without careful consideration of all my commitments. With a boss, for example, you may include the requester in the decision while showing him or her your calendar. What should I put aside in order to complete this new task? This code-driven pause separates the novices from the practiced professionals. Number 2: Build relationships. However, most of us are afraid to say no. Because we are taught as children to be nice or good, giving away our power to adults, we still fear the supposed fallout. I've worked with top executives who routinely tell their ill-tempered bosses fake yeses. The result? Chaos. Eventually, the boss adapts by asking several people to do the exact same task. To get past the fear at the root of the problem, author William Ury suggests the following approach to decline requests from anyone: Step 1: Concretely describe your interests and values while being as positive as possible. Step 2: Explicitly connect the "no" to your values and interests. Step 3: Explore other options to satisfy the request. For example, quote, "This year I have committed to living a balanced life and making sure my son passes his GSAT." Tonight is set aside to help him, so I can't be at your Zoom call. How about another night this week? For those who are productive, either a yes or no can build relationships. However, it takes skill to bring this off in real time, under pressure from someone who is in power. A long-term commitment to deliver better quality nos only leads to more skill in this area. Disavow lesser channels. In today's remote environment, we receive requests via a number of channels. How do we respond effectively via text, video, or audio when face-to-face communication is impossible? The answer is to use the most interactive medium possible. If it means a video chat or phone call, take the time needed. More interactive channels allow the opportunity to react in real time. However, if you must use text, the least preferred option, follow Uri's formula. Do so and you will not only be protecting your calendar but showing the respect that demonstrates your professionalism. When they return to you with a future request, they'll remember: you don't play around with your commitments and you take care of people who approach you for help. Thanks for listening. Do you have an unsolved problem in your Caribbean company related to strategy, productivity, engagement, or business process improvement? Just visit a searchable listing of all my prior articles and you may be able to help yourself to a fresh line of thinking. Go to blog.fwconsulting.com or see the show notes.