From refusing to work with a colleague to bragging about your
irreplaceability, here are 10 things you never want to say to your
1. "Can you write that down for me?" When you're talking about the
details of a project, writing notes to consult later is great. But you
need to take them yourself, not ask your boss to do it for you.
2. "I just booked plane tickets for next month." Never book time
off without clearing it with your boss. There might be a major project
due that week, or she might have approved others to have that time off
and therefore need you around. Check with her first before you do
3. "My bad." There's nothing more frustrating than an employee who
has made a mistake and doesn't seem to think it's a big deal. When you
make a mistake, take responsibility for it, figure out how you're
going to fix it, and make it clear that you understand its
seriousness. Responses like "my bad" sound cavalier and signal that
you don't take work seriously. Don't use it for anything other than
the most minor mistake (like spilling something in the kitchen, which
4. "I can't work with Joe." Refusing to work with a colleague is
an unusually extreme statement and may mark you as difficult. Instead,
try something like, "I find it hard to work well with Joe because of X
and Y. Do you have any advice on how I can make it go more smoothly?"
5. "I don't know what you'd do without me." No one is
irreplaceable, even the head of your company. Statements like this
mark you as a prima donna who feels entitled to special treatment ...
and will make a lot of managers want to show you that you're wrong.
6. "Do this, or I quit." Whether you're asking for a raise or
requesting a day off, don't threaten to quit if you don't get your
way. If you don't get what you want, you can always think it over and
decide to quit, but if you use it as a threat in the negotiation
itself, you'll lose your manager's respect and poison the
7. "I have another offer. Can you match it?" Using another job
offer as a bargaining chip to get your current employer to pay you
more money may be tempting, but it often ends badly. First, you may be
told to take the other offer, even if you don't really want it--and
then you'll have to follow through. Second, even if your employer does
match the offer, they'll now assume you're looking to leave, and you
may be on the top of the lay-off list if the company needs to make
cutbacks. If you want a raise, negotiate it on your own merits.
8. "What's the big deal?" Statements like this are dismissive and
disrespectful. If your manager is concerned about something, you need
to be concerned about it too. If you genuinely don't understand what
the big deal is, say something like, "I want to understand where
you're coming from so we're on the same page. Can you help me
understand how you're seeing this?"
9. "I can't do X because I need to do Y." Don't say that you
can't do something your manager is asking of you. Instead, if there's
a conflict with another project, explain the conflict and ask your
manager which is more important.
10."That's not my job." Protesting that something isn't in your
job description is a good way to lose the support of your boss. Job
descriptions aren't comprehensive, and most people end up doing work
that doesn't fall squarely within that job description. (That's what
"and other duties as assigned" means.) You want to make yourself more
valuable to your employer, not less.
- Sent by NG
No comments:
Post a Comment