不當職場老好人:1分鐘學會拒絕藝術

Business is filled with opportunities, and it's nice when you can say yes to customers, employees and vendors. But there are absolutely times when saying yes will lead to difficulty or even disaster.
商界充滿了機會，有時候能夠對客戶、僱員和供應商說yes是很棒的。但一定有一些時候，說yes會導致巨大的困難甚至災難。

Here are seven scenarios where no is the only way to go. Some may seem obvious, but I have often witnessed smart people get themselves in trouble by thinking they will somehow work everything out. Don't put yourself in a bad position unnecessarily. Recognize these 7 scenarios and just say No!
在以下7種情況中，說no是唯一的選擇。其中的有一些可能看起來是顯而易見的，但我還是經常能目睹一些很聰明的人因爲自以爲可以解決一切而讓自己陷入麻煩。所以不要毫無必要地把自己置於一種不好的處境中。當你看到這7種情況的時候，要果斷說no！

1. Say NO! When No One Is Ready
1.當誰都沒有準備好的時候，說no！

Many people say yes to a boss or customer request when the pieces of the puzzle aren't in place. Great work requires preparation. Great teams require alignment. If your team isn't prepared or aligned, agreeing to take on difficult initiatives is a disaster waiting to happen. Young companies often try to speed forward before their organizational structure or business model is ready. They instead end up burning investor money while killing dreams and reputations. Say No! so you can get everything and everyone on board and ready. Then you can say yes with confidence.
很多人會在什麼都還沒有就位的時候就對老闆或顧客說yes。要知道，完美的工作需要完美的準備。完美的團隊需要完美的組織。如果你的團隊沒有準備好和組織好，你就去對一件困難的任務說yes，將會導致巨大的災難。很多年輕的企業都會在他們的組織架構和商業模式都還沒有就緒的時候就試着加速前進，但他們最終只會在白白花了投資人大量的金錢後，還破壞了自己的夢想和聲譽。這時候你要說no！這樣才能讓每件事和每個人都準備好。到時候你就能自信地說yes了。

2. Say NO! When It's Not a Fit
2.在不合適的時候，說no！

Salespeople and entrepreneurs alike tend to see the potential in everything and everybody. But a ton of time is wasted on prospects who are never going to be customers, never going to invest, or never going to be amazing employees. Instead of looking for all the reasons why things will work out, save time by focusing on the reasons they won't. Even if you say No!, you can always revisit the opportunity if compatibility improves.
銷售人員和企業家傾向於在每件事和每個人身上都看到潛在的商機。不過也就是因爲這樣，大量的時間都浪費在了發展那些不可能成爲客戶，不可能投資或是不可能成爲瘋狂的職員的那些人身上。與其把所有精力花在研究爲什麼會成功上，不如花時間去關注它們爲什麼不會成功。即使你一開始說了no，當你自身水平提高後，你還是有機會再去抓住那些潛在的機會的。

3. Say NO! When You're Overloaded
3.當你操勞過度的時候，說no！

Some people are afraid to say No! even when they have too much on their plates. They think it's necessary to respond positively all the time to avoid disappointing others. Then they let things fall through the cracks, get sick or have a breakdown. In this case, an impossible yes causes far more frustration then just saying No! in the first place. Have a realistic sense of your capacity and don't go past your limit.
有些人害怕說no！甚至在他們已經承擔了過量的工作的時候。他們覺得任何時候都積極迴應以免讓別人失望是非常必要的。最後，他們也沒有能很好的把事情做完。在這種情況下，一句根本不可能的yes會引發巨大的挫敗。所以你應該在一開始就說no！你要對你的工作能力有一個清醒的認識，不要超過你的極限。4. Say NO! When It's Unrealistic
4.當某事已經不現實的時候，說no！

You can't assume that every request has been thought through in detail. Often people ask for what they want with little or no consideration of what's involved for delivery. I never subscribe to the "customer is always right" theory. As a consultant, I wonder, if they are always right, why would they want to pay me? Be the expert when someone asks for something. If you don't know how it works, do your homework and say yes only when you know it can really happen. Otherwise, keep that "maybe" handy.
你不能指望每個要求都已經得到了充分的考慮。很多時候，人們提出他們想要什麼的時候根本就沒有好好考慮要做到這些需要哪些必要條件。我從來不會同意“顧客永遠是對的”這種理論。作爲一位顧問，我總是會想，如果他們永遠是對的，他們爲什麼又要花錢來請我？當別人向你要求什麼的時候，你一定要專業。如果你不知道那件事如何才能成功，你一定要做好功課，只有當你完全明白它要怎麼做才能成功的時候才說yes。不然的話，就只能說“可能”。

5. Say NO! When You Have to Go Backwards
5.當你會退步時，說no！

It's hard enough to move steadily toward your goals without having to regain lost ground. When approached with an opportunity that doesn't obviously propel you forward, ask yourself: "Why am I even interested in this?" You may be surprised to find there is simply no justification for saying yes. When that happens, loudly declare No! and move on to opportunities that better align with your goals.
想要在穩步前行的同時又不失去已獲得的東西是很難的。當你遇到一個機會，而那個機會並不一定能幫助你前進的時候，就要問問自己：“我對這個東西到底感興趣嗎？”你或許會驚訝地發現，根本就沒有理由說yes。當這種情況發生的時候，果斷說no！然後轉向另一個和你的目標更相符的機會。

6. Say NO! When It's Unprofitable
6.當不划算的時候，說no！

You are in business for many reasons, but nearly everyone--founders and employees alike--is in it to profit. Not all profit is related to money, although young entrepreneurs should take note that consistent monetary profit does help your sustainability and your valuation. Sometimes a transaction can pay off in connections, exposure, learning, satisfaction or, yes, money. But when a transaction does nothing to better the people involved, then the word No! should be used.
你在商界是出於各種各樣的原因，但幾乎所有人進入商界都是爲了盈利。並非所有的盈利都和錢有關。雖然年輕企業家必須明白持續的金錢盈利對你的可持續發展和價值的成長是非常有幫助的。但有時候一項交易也能讓你在人脈、曝光率、知識以及滿意度上獲得回報。但是當一項交易對所有人都沒有好處的時候，就該說no！

7. Say NO! When You Can't Meet Expectations
7.當你不能達到期望的時候，說no！

People are often optimistic about how quickly and how well they can get things done. Combine that hopefulness with the desire to please a customer, and you are left over-promising and under-delivering. Save yourself the mea culpa and say No! to what you know you can not do. Be accountable and manage expectations. Whatever you do, don't say yes to get the deal signed if you're assuming that, once the prospects are in the door, they'll have to adapt to your change in quality, timing or price. After they realize what's happened, few will come back to say yes and do business with liars.
人們總是對快速成功地做好某件事抱有樂觀的期望。當你把這種樂觀的期望和滿足客戶的需求聯繫起來的時候，你往往會承諾太多你做不到的事情。你必須對那些你做不到的事情說no！以減少你的過錯。讓自己變得靠譜起來，並且努力達到期望。不管你做什麼，都不要因爲你預計能做到就承諾下一樁交易。一旦木已成舟，客戶不得不接受你在質量、時間和價格上產生的變化。一旦他們明白髮生了什麼，很少有人會回來和你說yes，並且繼續和一個騙子合作。