Being agreeable is never going to get you the promotion
Do you say ‘yes’ to everything asked of you so that you seem helpful, have a good reputation, and will hopefully receive that promotion?
Are You The Office Go-To Person For All Random Questions?
This used to be me, and let me tell you that while it might feel good and boost your ego to have people think of you as the omniscient colleague of office random facts, it will hinder your ability to be promoted if it turns you into a constant ‘yes’ person.
At All Costs, BE AGREEABLE
As a young female entering the workforce nearly 20 years ago, I was taught to say yes to new opportunities, to jump at the chance to take on new tasks, and to be generally seen as ‘helpful’ as this would help build the foundations of a good reputation that would ultimately lead to promotions.
As well as my job, I worked in other departments when they needed help, I made endless cups of tea, I made time to help others with their workloads, and I took on random tasks no-one else wanted to do, often with the inner thoughts of ‘it’s not my job but I love editing/writing/updating the intranet/etc.’ All with the hope that one day my efforts would be recognized, and I would receive that promotion.
I was always agreeable, I was always available, and I never said no — I would re-prioritize my workload to make sure I could get everything done but I would never say no as surely that was seen as disagreeable and would damage my reputation, right?
Wrong
For anyone who has seen Jim Carrey’s film Yes Man, you will know that saying yes to everything is absurd. Professionally, people don’t respect you because you are perpetually helpful, make a great cup of tea, or know how to fix the constantly jammed printer, neither are these reasons that they will promote you.
People respect you because you are good at your job; the job you are paid to do. (Obviously, soft skills and your personality play a part here too.)
Say No
If you want that promotion, work out what you need to be able to bring to the table to be a suitable candidate. This may be training, it may be exceeding your current targets, it might be participating in other initiatives for experience in areas you need to work on. If the random task you have taken on voluntarily does not meet those goals, say no. If the finance department need help filing invoices and you have a free 30 minutes, you are not obligated to help. Use this time to improve something within your own job description; can you prepare something for tomorrow, can you help a colleague with a task specific to your position; could you do some research to improve your weaknesses?
Saying no to the filing will enable you to better perform in your own role, it will show your managers that you are looking at continuous improvement opportunities, and that perhaps you can add value in a more senior role to the organisation.
Ask yourself, what am I recognized for vs. what do I want to be recognized for? Are you recognised as super helpful, always willing..a bit of a pushover? Or, are you viewed as great at delivering your job, always looking to grow your knowledge, and as someone who contributes to the company objectives?
The Art Of Saying No
There is a fine line between saying no and aligning your priorities and saying no and being deemed difficult. You do not have to provide a reason that you are unable to help with a task, but the ‘no’ goes down a lot smoother if you can offer a helpful alternative; “I am not able to provide you with those details, but I believe John has the information you are after,” or “I am in the middle of something right now and can’t come and fix the printer, however I have saved the user manual in the shared office folder.” In both of these examples, you have left the requester with more information that they started with, but you haven’t derailed your day and your work progress to help someone else out just to be seen as agreeable.
Finding Balance
For my final few words, I will acknowledge that there is a lot more to receiving a promotion, and that there are many other factors at play.
However, my biggest observation (and lived experience) is that the more helpful you are deemed, the more you are viewed for the contribution you make to the office and not the actual job you do.
It is up to you how you choose to balance the ad-hoc with the daily requirements of your role, but my advice is to step back and evaluate:
- Is this task my problem to solve?
- Does this task contribute to my job?
- Why am I being asked to do it (is it just because others don’t want to?)?
- What are the consequences of saying yes/no?
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This article was published on June 26th, 2024 in Long. Sweet. Valuable. publication.
