Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose. I am a speaker and author. My background is in time and project management.
I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff. I have a knack for taking big ideas and converting them into smart, sound, and actionable ideas.
At the end of the day, I give people peace of mind.
Today’s question came from a professional interested in freeing some time and space to advance in his career.
His question is : When and how to Tell Your Boss “No”
I normally recommend my clients to take control over their own career path. If they see that their assigned tasks are below their pay grade or are stalling their professional advancement, they should take action to get back on track. This might entail a redirection on what and how you are performing your daily tasks.
The important thing to remember is that your boss is trying to solve a problem. Solving his problem doesn’t always mean you have to be the one doing the work. If the boss comes to you with a task that is beneath your pay-grade or is not aligned with your individual development plan (these things are discussed in detail in the Professional Development Toolkit online eCourse), I often recommend my clients to do one of the following:
1) Brainstorm with your boss to find a different way to solve the same problem that either elevates the task that matches your pay grade or band level. This would include (but not limiting to): streamlining, automating, optimizing and documenting that task.
2) Offer to train someone of the right pay grade and band level to do the task.
3) Review the consequences this has on all your other tasks. Your boss may not remember the other tasks and priorities you are currently working on. Be totally transparent about the other jobs, dependencies and stakeholders involved in your other tasks. Verify that this current request (in your manager’s opinion) is higher priority that what you are current working on – and warrants a delay in schedule for the other items. Ask permission to use your manager’s name when telling the other stakeholders about the reason for the delay in their requests.
4) Continually review your career objectives and your individual career plans with your manager, so that he continually assigns tasks aligned with your career goals and individual mission statement.
5) If all else fails – have an agreement that this is a temporary (time bound) assignment. Have an agreement that this task will be off-loaded within 2 weeks to someone of the appropriate level. Ask that the task be exempted in your performance review. This means that you are not docked for doing something lower than your pay grade or performance level.
Remember:
During performance time, managers will rate all the employees of the same band level together. Because of this – if you accept tasks beneath your pay grade, you are doing yourself a disservice. For example, if you are Band 9 and are requested to do Band 7 or Band 8 work (because no one else will do it and you want to be seen as a good team player) – and all the other Band 9 employees are doing Band 9 or above work; you will receive “Below Expectations” rating. This is because you are doing below Band 9 work and you are expected to do Band 9 work.
As you can see in these examples, you are not say “NO” to your boss. You are saying “YES but on your own terms”.
I realize that your situation is different. If you need additional information, why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward.
With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest speak at no cost to your group organization.
I have a monthly presentation on “How to say YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes
This presentation isn’t for everyone. It’s for professionals that are ready to succeed. Since we use the time to do some real-time laser coaching around your unique situation, the seats are limited. Even though this presentation is complimentary, there is a $5.00 reserve your seat fee that is refunded when you after attend the presentation. If you register and do not attend, you forfeit the $5.00 and all materials covered in the presentation.
I also have several worksheets that help clarify your goals, your teams missions, and your performance expectations in the Professional Development Toolkit. The toolkit goes into the who, what, where, when, why and how of all of the above. It contains audios, videos, presentations, and worksheets for your use and growth. Take the next step and check the toolkit out <<HERE>>