393. Learning how to push back

Hiong
Hiong
Jul 27, 2017 · 1 min read

When you’re working for a client it’s easy to get carried away with doing everything that you can to please them. After all if you do a great job and “wow” them it will hopefully lead to either more work or some great referrals.

The obvious issue is that we end up over promising and then killing ourselves to try and deliver on our promises. This is something that we’ve all been guilty of, even if we are an employee we may make promises to our bosses that just aren’t feasible.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve become much more adept and realising nobody benefits in these kind of situations. Now I try to ensure that any deliverables are challenging yet achievable.

There’s an interesting paradox that I’ve come across though. I still find it hard to push back when negotiating for myself.

But if I have a team that I need to protect I’m much firmer. I feel that it’s my job to protect the team from burning out as much as it is to deliver for the client.

If I am willing to burn out then that’s up to me, but I can’t expect the same of the team.

It’s interesting how hard we are willing to be on ourselves but no on others.

100 Naked Words

Est. May 2016. 100 vulnerable words, one day at a time. Every day.

Driving a more thoughtful, human approach to business. www.findhiong.com

Est. May 2016. 100 vulnerable words, one day at a time. Every day.

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