Saying No

You only have 24 hours in a day, and there is always more work to do than time. Saying “no” is essential for a TPM to have a long, sustainable career. There are many good reasons for this:

• You want to be able to focus your time on a few critical projects that will advance your career.
• You want to avoid burnout.
• You want to avoid dropping the ball on something (and hurt your credibility) by taking on too much.

As with everything, there are certain times when you simply can’t say “no” (i.e., an executive is asking for something)., These are some tips to help you pushback when you are unsure if what you’re being asked to do is truly important: