Don’t Say ‘Yes’ To Everything At Work

You want to get ahead at work and you don’t mind putting in the hard yards. It’s tempting to take on all the tasks and projects that are up for grabs but it’s important to think carefully before you put your hand up.

Say no image from Shutterstock

A can-do attitude is great, but when your boss or co-worker asks you for help with a difficult task, it’s worth considering whether you can really deliver. Overpromising and under-delivering can result in unnecessary pressure on yourself and damage your reputation at work, according to Dr Travis Bradberry, who has a background in clinical psychology and is a writer on the subject of emotional intelligence:

If you promise to do something ridiculously fast and you miss the deadline by a little bit, you’ll likely think that you did a good job because you still delivered quickly. But the moment you promise something to someone, they expect nothing less. You end up looking terrible when you fall short, which is a shame, because you could have done the same quality work in the same amount of time with great results if you’d just set up realistic expectations from the beginning.

The rule of thumb here is to be realistic about the results you can deliver so that you can continue cultivate a reputation for being a capable worker.

[Via LinkedIn Pulse]


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