How
To Avoid Getting Sucked Into More Work After Doing A One-Time Favor
It's nice of you to
help out, but you may not want to set a precedent. Here are three ways to draw
some boundaries.
You did it: You were a good friend,
or coworker, or contact, and took time out of your day to read a resume, listen
and advise over coffee, or provide notes on an upcoming project. In fact, you
did such a good job that the other person has already followed up to ask if you
can help again (and then
again).
Can you blame him?
Maybe—and maybe not. On the one
hand, you’d hope he might realize that you don’t have limitless time for people
to "pick your
brain." But sometimes, he’ll keep coming back because you’re telling
him to. That’s right: When you end that coffee meeting by saying, "Let’s
set a date for next month" or conclude an email with, "Anytime you
need help, please ask!" you’re the one suggesting he
reach back out.
So, how can you get out of this habit, but still end your exchange
on a friendly note? The trick is actually pretty simple, and it all comes down
to phrasing. Instead of focusing on the future, comment on how happy you are to
have been there—which signals the past-tense nature of your guidance. This way you
can still be gracious, but you’re not setting yourself up to be a constant
source of free advice.
Here’s how it works, and what you can say based on the specific
situation.
You love to pay it forward and help others out. But you don’t have
time to be someone’s mentor. You can pretty much commit to one cup of coffee or
introduction or email exchange, and that’s all. (And by the way, that’s totally
okay.)
Skip concluding lines like,
"Keep me posted how it goes," which indicates that you’ll be there
with next steps.
However, you don’t want to send mixed signals. So, be sure to skip
concluding lines like, "Keep me posted how it goes," which indicates
that you’ll be there with next steps.
Instead, end with, "I hope I was helpful." This way,
you’re still being friendly—and odds are slim that someone would follow with,
"No, you actually weren’t, so please answer these five additional
questions."
On the off chance that you’re dealing with someone particularly
persistent, you can move to being more blunt. In the next email, shift to,
"Unfortunately, I don’t have time to give you an in-depth answer/provide
additional guidance, but I wish you the best of luck!"
Networking is not
one-size-fits-all. If you went to a contact’s event, and felt uncomfortable the whole
time, you have every right to decline future invites for similar get-togethers.
Maybe you network better from your couch or
one-on-one. Save your time and energy for what works for you.
Of course, in order to do that, you’ll need to bypass any phrases
that suggest you can’t wait for the next shindig. That means "Let’s do it
again!"; "See you soon!"; "Can’t wait!"; and
"Looking forward to the next [event]" are all out.
Again, the trick here is to look backward. Go with: "I’m so
glad I was able to make it." Same goes for meeting up with someone again
or providing feedback in the future, just tweak the end of "I’m so glad I
was able to . . ." and sub in "catch up with you," or
"provide helpful feedback."
If there are future emails, stick
with variations of the line above and add in some details about the visit that
already occurred. It sounds like this: "Yes, it was great seeing you, too.
I loved hearing about your new job." And that’s all. Stay
past tense, and don’t commit to being in touch in the future.
In an article on the virtues of the word "no," Muse
Editor-in-Chief Adrian Granzella Larssen writes, "I say yes until I find
myself with a jam-packed calendar that not only stresses me out every time I
look at it, it leaves no time for the activities that keep me sane, or the big
priorities that really matter to me. And I realize that in order to say yes to
those things, I need to say no to others."
"Yes, it was great seeing
you, too. I loved hearing about your new job." Stay past tense, and don’t
commit to being in touch in the future.
If you identify with these two sentences, you need to get more
comfortable ending one-time obligations without getting suckered into long-term
commitments. To do this, remember that "Let me know if there’s anything
else I can do" is perfectly nice—unless the reality is that you’ll dread
hearing back, you have zero interest in doing anything else, and you’re just
typing that line because you feel like you have to.
If you don’t have the bandwidth to
stay in touch but want to provide some kind of additional guidance, your best
option is to send your contact elsewhere. For example, I often refer people who
contact me with specific career questions to The Muse’s Coach Connect. Maybe you suggest your connection reach out to someone else you
know (after asking of course), join a Facebook or LinkedIn group, read a book
you found particularly enlightening on a given subject, or find some other
outlet.
To make this a no-brainer for
you—and save you from your wavering, defaulting-to-yes self—save a canned response with
additional resources. This way, saying "no" really will be easier
than saying yes.
If you know you’re likely to blurt out something that’ll commit
you to future engagements, take extra time when ending a meeting or note. Don’t
say what’s on the tip of your tongue. Consciously focus on using the lines
above. In the end, it’ll save you—and the other person—headaches, because it’ll
steer him or her toward someone who truly wants to provide continual help.
SARA MCCORD
http://www.fastcompany.com/3062822/how-to-avoid-getting-sucked-into-more-work-after-doing-a-one-time-favor
No comments:
Post a Comment