In the climb to success we take on more
and more responsibilities at work that will help boost our evaluation when it
comes to promotion. By accepting to do more you are
exposing yourself to promotion no doubt; you are proving that you have the capacity
to handle bigger projects. But how much can you really take on and how
much can you let go?
Knowing when to draw the line is as much
a prerequisite for promotion as taking on the extra task itself. You do not
want to be overwhelmed by what you took on that is not in your key
responsibility area and then find you are failing to achieve nothing. I manage a team of 4 and I find I talk about taking on more than they
can handle a lot at work. I am not against an employee proving themselves, what
I find most exasperating is offering to do a particular assignment and not
delivering as at the time it is expected from you. Most bosses feel same as
well.
Take time to think before committing
yourself; think about the ramifications of what you about taken on. Is it
something you are likely to finish without causing so much strain on your
already planned schedule? Would you need to work with some other person to get
the job done?
Remember that if you are working with
other people aside yourself on a particular task not in your normal routine,
your time will clash. You may not be available when others are or they will not
be available when you are. So consider your schedule and the schedule of
others.
Ask your immediate boss. Most times our
bosses have their own assignments for us not in our Key responsibility area.
Before you accept anything else, spell out your current responsibilities and
ask your supervisor. That way you show you recognize their position in
your schedule and you save yourself unnecessary conflicts.
While declining a task, be open to say
why and try to help solve the requester’s problem by offering an alternative or
an option. If the task is immediate and you are not available to do it
immediately you can offer to do it later if the job will not be too late. When you say ‘I can’t do this now because am
working on something that need to be concluded before x o’clock. Can I do it
maybe tomorrow?’ you are offering an olive branch and showing you actually care
about the job being done. Saying an outright ‘NO’ can be misconstrued, always
offer something when you are turning someone down.
If a superior ask you to perform a task
through an email and you are not going to do it, decline in person as e-mail
messages can get misconstrued. The
willingness that you would express through your tone of voice cannot be read in
an e-mail.
When you decline an opportunity, consider
turning it into a positive situation for someone else who could benefit from
additional exposure or responsibility. You
have other colleagues who most probably did not come to the mind of the
requester and who you know would be available, suggest their name to the person
making the request. But check to make sure your colleague is available to do
the task.
It can be
difficult to say ‘No’ especially when you are passionate about your work and
you see each project and task as a potential to forward the cause but in
reality we can only do as much as we can do and not more. Knowing this puts you
in focus all the time and it also ensure you stay on track of your key responsibilities.
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