“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” – Tony Blair. At work we want to be helpful and it is in our nature to say yes. Saying yes builds relationships and gives goodwill. The downside of saying yes too often is that we eventually become overwhelmed. Saying yes selectively will help you balance your time. So how do you say no?
You can politely reject the request outright, redirect the requester to someone else or delay it until you have more time. Saying no in the right way will give you more time.