How To Politely Say “No” At Work

Saying “no” at work isn’t always easy, especially if you’re a people pleaser. But sometimes, we must decline, whether it’s thanks to a full workload, a lack of resources, or because a task is simply unfeasible.

But just as learning to say “no” can be a challenge, learning the right way to say “no” is just as laborious. Coming off too strongly will hurt your interpersonal relationships while being unclear will make others uncertain you actually declined something. Learn to take charge and clearly but politely say “no” by adhering to these reminders.

““No, that idea sucks,” is quite different from, “No, I’d like to take a different approach.”” –Sara McCord, The Muse

Listen first

Even if you know right away you aren’t going to be able to help someone, make sure not to rudely interrupt with a dismissive “no.” Your respect for your boundaries is good, but you can decline in the right way after listening to what someone needs.

The Muse’s Sara McCord says that even when you know an idea is unfeasible or unpopular to let whoever is asking for help finish speaking before going further. The speaker may think you just don’t get it or think you’re being rude if you cut them off early. By listening to their full explanation, you can pick up on their needs. Even if you can’t meet those needs, you might be able to point them in a helpful direction while still respecting your boundaries.

Stay polite

If someone asks you for something and you respond with a quick “nah” it won’t be well received. Especially if your boss is the one asking you. There’s a balance to be struck with being clear but not being a jerk about it.

Asana’s Alicia Raeburn suggests starting by leading with something positive. Don’t go straight to the “no”—open up with a “Thank you” or “You’re so good at thinking of these opportunities” to let the asker know you appreciate them coming to you. You may have been the first person they asked because they trust you or you’re particularly skilled with something. Even if you can’t help this time, being polite about your decline will keep the interpersonal respect alive.

Offering to help in the future is another way to politely respond without shutting someone down. Maybe the timing is just bad right now or maybe you have too much on your plate. If they feel they can ask you again in the future, they’ll take that “no” even more positively.

“Unfortunately, I have too much to do today. I can help you another time.” –Indeed

Be honest

If you really don’t want to do something, a common first instinct is to make up an excuse of sorts. It might feel like without a great reason, your “no” will be poorly received. But honesty is the best policy.

Forbes’ Ashira Prossack reminds us that being honest doesn’t mean explaining every single detail, however. If you have a task or appointment that would conflict with helping someone, you can just say you have a conflict and give a brief explanation. While you might feel bad declining to help someone, you also don’t owe them every single detail. In fact, the more details you provide, the more it may seem like you’re making up an excuse.

Be clear and firm

While the above tips are good for framing your rejection, make sure at some point you actually include the word “no.” Your response might otherwise seem so polite and professional that it seems like you’re agreeing despite your other commitments.

Indeed says to be consistent and firm with your “nos.” If you open with “no but eventually change your mind, people will think they can always get you to do what they want by constantly asking. Staying firm on your “no,” especially by doing it politely, will help the “no” stick.

Clockify’s Dunja Jovanovic says that you can reinforce your “no” assertively by combining it with the right body language. Shaking your head, crossing your arms, and sitting back are all signs of dismissal. If your words are polite but your tone and stance is firm, the asker will get the message without you coming across rudely.

Practice

For some of us, the idea of saying “no” in general is difficult enough. When we’re put on the spot and don’t want to disappoint someone, it’s easy to default to saying “yes,” even when it’s the wrong call. By keeping the above points in mind and practicing, however, we can stop ourselves from auto-agreeing.

“Sometimes when we are blindsided, things come out the wrong way. Therefore, practicing how to say “no” will prepare you for those times that your bandwidth is stretched to its max.” –Fellow

Wrap up

Saying “no” when needed will prevent burnout while setting healthy boundaries. The key to declining someone at work is to do it in the right way. Rethink that saying “no” means in the first place. It isn’t an attack on the person asking. You’ll often have good reasons to say “no,” and someone else may be able to help. Politely getting through the “no” is much easier if you hear the other person out and kindly but firmly explain why you can’t help.

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Becoming More Persuasive At Work

Being an effective communicator is one of the core keys to success in life and often starts with how persuasive you can be. You might have the most outstanding ideas imaginable, but they’ll go unnoticed if you can’t get others interested.

Becoming more persuasive will open many doors in your career. Whether you’re trying to land a new job, make a big sale, inspire your team, or start a new project, being able to convince others that you and your ideas have merit will lead to success. If you want to become more convincing at work, start incorporating these ideas into your efforts.

Find a framing device

Your storytelling efforts will always be better with preparation and care. Even if you have a wonderful idea, if it’s crammed into a meandering story with lots of pointless fluff, it’ll go unnoticed. Knowing how to frame your argument is crucial to persuade others.

Great Learning’s Tanuja Bahirat writes that a good framing has three core components: placement (the right time, place, and audience), approach (how you present your argument), and words (the right words for your audience). This will help you build the outline for your argument.

For an example of an effective framing device, consider the STAR method. This method is commonly used to answer interview questions by taking a situation, task, action, and results focus to quickly share a story and express your value.

Establish credibility

In any persuasive effort, the more credible and trustworthy you appear, the more naturally persuasive you’ll appear. It makes sense that an expert in a field would have more clout than someone who doesn’t know the material well.

“To be believable, we must be credible. To be credible, we must be truthful.” –Edward R. Murrow, journalist

Building up your knowledge on the topic and developing a reputation in your niche go a long way toward convincing others. Maria Thimothy of OneIMS says that if you’re viewed as an expert, your efforts will be less viewed as an attempt to persuade and more of an attempt to educate.

Journalist Edward R. Murrow suggests backing up any arguments you make with concrete facts and avoiding pushing a personal narrative.

Focus on goals

Whatever argument you’re trying to make is likely based on some personal narrative, of course. You wouldn’t be trying to persuade someone if the topic wasn’t important to you. But phrasing something in terms of your needs won’t win you any supporters. You want to bring value to your audience, so focus on their needs.

“The values that emerge consistently from discussions with your colleagues give you insights into the criteria they use for deciding how to channel their effort.” –Art Markman, Fast Company

Enhance’s Jess Coles says to start by putting yourself in your audience’s shoes before answering what they can gain from whatever you’re offering. Have a good idea of what your audience needs rather than basing your argument on baseless assumptions. Your job is to help them achieve their goals and fulfill their needs. By thinking in terms of those needs, you can offer a solution, which will make your eventual call to action much more impactful.

Consider the opposing viewpoint

There will always be opposition to your persuasive efforts. Otherwise, you wouldn’t need to persuade someone! Even if you have a solid argument, people have opposing values, other appealing options, or won’t be convinced something is a big problem. Sometimes, they might agree with you but think an answer might not be worth the resources or effort.

Think of what these opposing arguments might be and come up with counterpoints before those opposing points can be raised by the audience. Not only will you be able to throw in a few more persuasive arguments but it’ll show that you understand the topic and the audience’s concerns, increasing credibility.

Be confident

Above all else, there isn’t anything quite as persuasive as expressing your case with a sense of calm confidence. If you truly believe in your argument and have prepared accordingly, it can smooth over any other bumps in your attempt. People aren’t likely going to resonate with someone who doesn’t appear confident—just make sure that confidence doesn’t bleed into arrogance.

“Confidence is like the sriracha sauce of conversation, making everything it touches infinitely more appealing. But how do we convey it?” –Eric Barker

Eric Barker says to cut out hedging words and filler words as a starting point. Hedging words like “maybe” and “kind of” make your argument less persuasive while “ums” and “likes” can make you appear nervous or unprepared.

Dwell With Dignity’s Ashley Sharp says confidence comes from passion, which is built on a foundation of credibility and knowledge. Your audience may not remember every concrete fact you present, but they’ll remember how you presented them.

Wrap up

Hopefully, this article persuaded you on the importance of having good persuasive skills. There will be countless times in your career when you need to convince someone to do something. Adding persuasive skills to your storytelling repertoire will have amazing benefits in the long run!

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Managing Expectations At Work

We all know work isn’t always a great time. Whether it’s a toxic environment or simply being in the wrong role, sometimes a workplace is a bad fit. But it isn’t always outside factors to blame. Sometimes, the biggest culprit is our own expectations.

Not every job is a dream job, but you can make moves toward creating a better environment. Cultivating the right mindset and taking necessary steps are the key to setting the right expectations at work and can create a better environment for your mental health. If you’re looking to better manage your mindset at work, take the following advice to heart.

“Managing expectations at work involve understanding company culture and how best to create healthy boundaries that guide your association with your colleagues, leadership, and management.” –Andrew Langat, Highrise

Look for mutual goals

You may want a super high-paying job working toward exactly whatever your dream goal is, but that’s often unrealistic. We all have to make compromises in our work life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find some meaning in your job. Instead of focusing on what you don’t like, find a way to focus on mutual goals with your organization.

Checkr states that the most engaged workers are the most productive and happy. While a good organization will find ways to reinforce the company’s culture and goals, you may need to find ways to connect with that message on your own. Find something about your work you can take pride in and try to focus on that.

Learn to communicate

One of the problems with expectations is that your expectations may vary differently from those of your co-workers or your managers, becoming a source of frustration and burnout. In order to avoid this, we must become better communicators to build an effective relationship based on respect and understanding.

“By introducing your expectations in the beginning stages of a professional relationship, you can help establish consistent guidelines.” –Indeed

Valerie Cantella says to not be afraid to overcommunicate. The more willing you are to open a dialogue, the easier it will be to find out what is and isn’t working. Valerie says to keep things SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Remember to keep your desires realistic and be open to similar feedback from others.

“Here’s a tip: To REDUCE conflict when communicating with others, you need to communicate in their style, not yours. The more you understand how YOU navigate change and conflict, the easier it is to understand and adapt your behavior.” –Kathy Marcino

Be flexible

Some of us like to set clear goals and expectations for ourselves while others prefer to keep things fluid. Neither style is better than the other, but in both cases, flexibility is key. It’s good to be goal-driven, but being too rigid in your expectations can lead to unhappiness.

Checkr reminds us that there are different generations raised on different work priorities and that even where we work is a flexible matter. With so many variables, everyone has different needs and expectations. It’s important to remind yourself of this and to be flexible.

But set boundaries

But being flexible doesn’t mean being a pushover or only catering to others’ needs. Setting healthy boundaries at work is a good way to reduce stress and keep others’ expectations from overpowering your own.

If someone else’s expectations seem too high, you can always say no, reminds Emily May of Niagara Institute. Agreeing to too much can lead to burnout and resentment. Setting reasonable boundaries is never a bad thing, even if the prospect seems difficult. If saying no feels daunting, you can always ask clarifying questions or say that you’ll reevaluate once you finish other tasks on your plate.

Learn not to take things personally

A final reminder is not to take any setbacks or conflicts personally. You may feel that you’ve earned the right to lead a big project or land a big promotion but got passed over. It’s easy to get frustrated and let the experience cloud your expectations, but these things aren’t always personal. It’s good to be ambitious, but assuming everything will go your way or that you’ll soar up the corporate ladder is a good way to find yourself disappointed. Stay hungry, but recognize when your expectations are too high or unrealistic.

Wrap up

We can get wrapped up in our day-to-day work lives too much sometimes, but it is valuable to take some time to reflect on your expectations. Is your mindset toward your job healthy and realistic? Have you communicated with others in a respectful way so that your expectations are clear? Ask yourself these questions and follow the above advice and see if it can help you realign.

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Recapping Our Top Five “Athletes And Business” Articles

At NexGoal, we specialize in matching organizations with top-tier talent with a focus on former athletes and those with the athlete’s mindset. While our history working with and being founded by former athletes may make us biased, we’ve found time and time again that ex-athletes and those with the athletic mindset tend to exceed in the business world thanks to their highly-sought after skills.

But you don’t have to be an athlete to have these crucial skills, and those who have never played a sport can still learn valuable career lessons from their favorite teams and athletes. Over the years, we’ve looked at what makes former athletes so successful in business and found insightful takeaways from the biggest sporting events in the world. For your enjoyment, we’ve compiled five of our favorite articles comparing the sports world and the business world.

Why Should You Hire Former Athletes?

While our history working with and being founded by former athletes may make us biased, the experts agree that you can’t go wrong filling your company with ex-athletes. Studies show that former athletes may make 5-15% more than their peers. Meanwhile, Japanese companies are heavily turning to retired athletes in order to achieve competent workers. Many hiring managers and CEOs like ASM Sports Groups’ Christopher Vidal have found former athletes to be some of their best candidates.

The traits that allow athletes to succeed at their chosen sport translate seamlessly to the business world. Even those who didn’t play organized sports can still embody the traits of a successful athlete—this is what we refer to as the “athlete mindset.” If you’re seeking to fill your organization with quality talent, you can’t go wrong with hiring someone with the athlete mindset thanks to these virtues.

Learn From The NFL Draft And Recruit Like The Pros

This is an exciting week in the world of sports as the 2022 NFL Draft begins. For those who don’t follow the sport, during the National Football League’s annual draft, the 32 teams recruit former college football players through an arranged system over the course of seven rounds.

The draft is the best way for teams to bring in new talent, and the process of talent evaluation is extensive. Each pick is a risk, as you’ll never have a complete picture of a prospect’s ceilings, and the fit with the right team can change everything.

In that way, business recruiting is similar. Recruiters must hire who they believe the best candidate is based on the information they have, and they can’t ignore their gut feelings. If your organization wants to recruit like the pros, you need to approach the process like the pros. Embrace these NFL Draft principles for your next hiring cycle.

Career Lessons From The 2022 World Cup

The World Cup is the largest global event in the sporting world, and every four years, millions watch to see how their country fares against the best competition on the planet. Argentina, led by the legendary Lionel Messi, took the FIFA World Cup Trophy home this year.

Argentina showed how to excel on the world’s biggest stage, but you don’t need to be a pro athlete to find some valuable takeaways for your own career. If you’re looking to achieve new career goals, take these lessons from the pros and become a champion in your chosen field!

Career Lessons From The 2023 Masters Tournament

The beginning of spring not only means warm weather is finally arriving but also one of the most exciting events in professional sports—the Masters Tournament.

One of the four major events in professional golf, the Masters is an iconic tournament where legends are made at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club. Each individual storyline at the Masters is fascinating in its own way, and we can take many lessons from the pros for our own life. If you’re looking to advance your career, take these cues from golf’s most iconic event!

Career Lessons From The 2023 Stanley Cup Finals

With the Vegas Golden Knights defeating the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals, the 2023 NHL season has reached its end. As exhilarating as watching hockey can be, if we take a closer look, we can find some valuable lessons for our own lives.

“Playoffs are like a quarter-long sales battle, minus the injuries.” -Kevin Dahl, NexGoal CEO and former NHL player

Two teams of committed team members working toward an ultimate goal is always something we can learn from, even if we aren’t athletes ourselves. Here are valuable career lessons those of us not on the ice can learn from hockey’s ultimate games.

Wrap up

We hope these articles can highlight why we believe so strongly in former athletes and those that embody the athlete’s mindset. You don’t need to be a pro athlete to learn valuable business insights from the sporting world’s biggest stars, and we hope these pieces can assist in your own career. Expect to see even more parallels between athletics and business in the future, and please don’t hesitate to share your own experiences or observations with us!

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Career Lessons From The 2023 Stanley Cup

With the Vegas Golden Knights defeating the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals, the 2023 NHL season has reached its end. As exhilarating as watching hockey can be, if we take a closer look, we can find some valuable lessons for our own lives.

“Playoffs are like a quarter-long sales battle, minus the injuries.” -Kevin Dahl, NexGoal CEO and former NHL player

Two teams of committed team members working toward an ultimate goal is always something we can learn from, even if we aren’t athletes ourselves. Here are valuable career lessons those of us not on the ice can learn from hockey’s ultimate games.

Play like the Cup is in the house

The physical Stanley Cup isn’t present at every game of the Finals. The iconic trophy is only “in the house” when a team has a chance to win (by winning three other games). Having the trophy in the house is a powerful reminder of what teams have been fighting for all season and can make the favored team play harder, but it isn’t a necessity.

Successful teams never forget what they are working toward, which is something we can all appreciate. Learn how to visualize success for your team and remember your ultimate goals. By turning your goals from something abstract to something tangible and achievable, you’ll fight harder to make them a reality.

Don’t be afraid to swing big

It’s good to find a realistic and sustainable way to win, but sometimes the process needs a kick in the rear, and all organizations must take a big swing. The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe highlights the Panthers’ blockbuster trade for Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk as a big key to their success this season. Florida was aggressive in pursuing this trade, barreling through with a massive offer that many thought might be an overpay. But the results spoke for themselves.

While moves like this can put pressure on you, when you’re shooting for success, you must take risks. Whether that means trying to break into a new industry, embracing a new sales strategy, applying for a leadership role, or hiring a promising candidate that doesn’t quite check all of the boxes, we have the potential to make career-altering decisions more often than we think.

“Carolina heavily invested in analytics and thinking about the game in a non-traditional manner for about a decade running now. You are seeing the fruits of those labors.” –John Fischer on 2023 playoff lessons

It takes hard work all year

You don’t get to be one of the final teams in a sport by coincidence or by just doing pretty well late in the season. Even when games aren’t currently being played, owners and general managers are making moves, coaches are watching film and coming up with new strategies, and players are training to be the best versions of themselves.

Vegas missed the playoffs last season but refused to admit defeat. They responded by looking for every big name player that could help their team get back to the postseason. They succeeded, landing a good amount of players, even if they had to make some challenging decisions to deal with the cap space.

Meanwhile, in your career, you need to take a big-picture approach. What will it take for you to achieve your ultimate goals, and how can you work on them today?

“The ups and downs of a post-season resemble business, what these guys endure will prepare them for anything.” -Kevin Dahl

Never count yourself out

Sometimes in a best-of-seven series, finals come down to the final game, with each team having a hot streak. Sometimes, a team takes the lead early and never looks back. In either case, the losing team doesn’t just roll over and lose. They’ll fight until the final buzzer.

The Panthers found themselves in this situation down 1-3 heading into Game 5, a potential end to the series. But as the great Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning is not everything – but making the effort to win is.” The Panthers fought hard to keep their season alive, and even though they fell short of the Cup, they fought admirably to the end. This type of resilience is the key to success in any area.

We view hockey players as tough and gritty, and many will play through battered bodies to achieve their goals. We don’t need to go that far, and we never want to sacrifice physical or mental well-being for the sake of work, but it’s vital to learn how to become resilient at work. Not only is resilience one of the most sought-after skills by employers but it will help us cope with the struggles we’ll face on the way to achieve our goals. Keep trying, and don’t be afraid to change your approach.

Wrap up

Hockey players have a reputation as some of the grittiest, toughest players out there, but that’s not all the sport represents. Team building and training are year-long, thoughtful processes, and even those of us in positions with seemingly little in common with professional hockey can learn from their approach. Keep these career lessons in mind and you’ll be a champion off of the ice!

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