Sometimes when there is a difficult day at work or when we are feeling stressed, we may inadvertently say something bad to our boss. But there are certain phrases that you should not say, whatever happens. Because they can ruin your chances of getting a promotion or even lead to your contract being terminated.
We decided to ask the experts what not to say to your boss and what would be the best response in different situations.
“I Can’t Work With Him/her.”
There are times when we are so dissatisfied with our coworkers that we want to discuss it with someone, but complaining at work is unprofessional. If your colleague, with whom you have a conflict or just don’t like it, has not violated any company policy or made a major professional mistake, put your dissatisfaction aside.
Your boss won’t be happy to learn that you can’t work with this person. You are expected to deal with personal feelings to achieve excellent results. And if you can’t, next time you probably won’t be trusted for an important project.
What should you say instead? Nothing.
“I Don’t Know How.”
If you are given a new task that seems difficult because you’ve never done something like this before, take a moment before saying no.
It is almost impossible for your boss to assign you a task that you cannot do and it is likely within your responsibilities. When you say “I don’t know-how,” it means that you are not motivated to learn and try something new.
What should I say instead? “It will be difficult for me to do this because … But we can try to do it like this …”
“This Is Not My Responsibility.”
Your boss may assign you a task that is not related to your main job. But even if that happens, don’t say resolutely that it is not your responsibility. Your boss may perceive this response as a personal insult or suspect that you are not a team player or dedicated to the success of the company.
In the future, you may not be assigned similar tasks and this could ruin your chances of getting a promotion. This doesn’t mean that you should accept any of your boss’s strange requests, you just need to learn to tactfully say no.
What should I say instead?
“I’d love to help, but I’m too busy right now.” “I’m ready to take on additional responsibilities, but unfortunately I don’t have a lot of experience with this, and I don’t want to let you down.” “I am always happy to try something new. Let’s discuss to whom I can delegate some of my current projects so that our work does not suffer this change. “
“I’ll Try.”
The words “I’ll try” imply the possibility of failure. When your boss asks you to do something and you answer something like that, it seems like you are avoiding responsibility. Also, you can’t seem to give a specific answer, which can be very annoying.
If you are sure you can meet the deadline, say so. If not, explain why you can’t or ask for help or postpone the deadline if necessary.
What should I say instead? “I will do it”. “To meet the deadline, I will need …”
“We’ve Always Done It Like This.”
A good manager will undoubtedly appreciate the ability of their subordinates to be flexible and adapt easily to changes in the work process.
But if you insist that you are used to doing something in a certain way and do not want to change anything, it shows that you are stuck in the past and cannot keep up with progress.
What should I say instead: “It’s an interesting idea. How does it work? “It’s a new approach. Let’s analyze the pros and cons ”.
Have you ever said something like that to your boss? What were the consequences? Let us know in the comments below.
