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Monday I participated in a tele-class with Michael Bungay of Box of Crayons. I was most interested in a Maestro confernce call demo (you can create private breakout sessions during the calls), but there were other juicy bits to learn from the session.
Michael's mission is to cut down busy work so you can carve out more time for creating your best work. His manifesto spells out seven ways to get there. Here's my favorite of the seven:
"Say Yes--Slowly
"Much has been written about the importance of being able to say "no," and it's very true. Until you learn how to say no, stuff will keep rolling down the hill and end up on your plate."But, the truth is, it's difficult to say no in most organizations. We're all nice, polite people. We've got it into our heads that success lays in saying yes. (And, ideally, with enthusiasm!) Surely it's a career-limiting move to get a reputation as being someone who says no?"So, don't say no. Rather, master the art of saying yes slowly."Rather than making yes your default response, ask some questions--I'd suggest at least three--before you make a decision. Here are some for a starter:"Why are you asking me?Who else have you considered for this?What exactly would I need to do?When you say "urgent," what does that mean?If I could only do part of this, what part would I do?How does this fit with my current project load?How does this fit with our weekly/monthly/annual goals?"
"Much has been written about the importance of being able to say "no," and it's very true. Until you learn how to say no, stuff will keep rolling down the hill and end up on your plate.
"But, the truth is, it's difficult to say no in most organizations. We're all nice, polite people. We've got it into our heads that success lays in saying yes. (And, ideally, with enthusiasm!) Surely it's a career-limiting move to get a reputation as being someone who says no?
"So, don't say no. Rather, master the art of saying yes slowly.
"Rather than making yes your default response, ask some questions--I'd suggest at least three--before you make a decision. Here are some for a starter:
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