We’ve all had those moments, times, days maybe even weeks where we feel we might have said something that we shouldn’t have said in the office. Granted managing your relationships with people whom you consider your colleagues or even your superiors is not easy or extremely hard.
In between our daily work tasks, sudden meetings & several tasks we have to go through the day, depending on the approach of your manager, you will likely be encountering him a lot through the day.
This means that there will be a lot of chitchat going back & Forth between you guys meaning there’s a bigger chance that you might say something you might regret. It’s also a great chance for you to display your true worth and engage positively.
Reaching this level of Positive, engaging and opportunity creating conversation and interaction format with your boss carries its instant and potential rewards. To help you do that we decided to share with you some of the most common phrases & things you should never tell your boss. So prepare yourself for some of the best career advice you might receive.
1. That’s Impossible & it can not be done
We’re not saying that anything your managers or superiors is holy scripture but just responding with an outright no is probably not the best way for you to voice your concerns.
Generally speaking, having a Can’t-do attitude or evading a challenge doesn’t exactly scream the desire to learn and discover more. This also could easily drive your employer away from relying on you again or nominating you for the next big promotion or task with a great learning opportunity.
One of the best ways to resolve this sensitive matter as per an article of the BsinessInsiders.com on the same matter is to put yourself in their shoes. In other words as per Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert, ask yourself if these comments reflect a can-do attitude and positive demeanor and rephrase or avoid the questions that don’t.
2. Can you ask someone else to do it?
That sentence is pretty self-explanatory, but basically what this sentence is saying is in other words “don’t bother me with this”. We are by no means saying that you should leave whatever you are currently doing once a superior asks you to do something, but a straight out give this to someone else doesn’t seem to be the right way.
As always the devil lies in the details and the difference between saying something offending & saying the right thing all lies in the phrasing. So instead of saying a response that reflects that you are an organised & keen individual, something like a “Sure, thing, i’ll get to it as soon as i finish this task at hand” or asking when its due to arrange yourself accordingly.
3. That’s not my job or you don’t pay me enough
It’s fully understandable why such a response can be triggered, especially if the task you’re being given seems to be somewhat irrelevant to your role or does not fall within your job description. The problem with that response is that it triggers a lot of alarms and resonates negatively with your manager or boss.
Aside from the understandable positive effect of this gesture on the relationship between you & your boss, it’s more indispensable & that much more driven & willing to push yourself for the success of the business
4. I just can’t work with him or Her
Not being able to “play well” with others has not been an admirable trait that he wants his kid to have, let alone a manager. In a workplace environment, a team player is a plus.
Moreover, its a reflection of your maturity and seasonality in the job environment, like the year of a fine bottle of wine as the expectation is that the individuals appointed by the firm are all mature and reasonable one,
5. I’m Bored
There are those moments in work when you just feel that teh day is going slow and either there’s nothing to do or what you’re doing isn’t engaging you enough. The key thing you need to consider is it’s not your bosses or your workplaces responsibility to keep you from getting bored.
This might be news for you but the obligation to find ways to interesting yourself and fend off boredom.
6. I don’t have a solution
Where not saying that you should never say that you don’t know if you lack information in the matter at hand, as the results of you providing an educated opinion might prove disastrous.
What we’re talking about here is how you will phrase it in a way that carries over the right message. The best approach would be either to say that you are unaware of the fact but promise to search for the answer and do exactly that or state what you know about the matter with a promise to fact check as soon as possible, this reflects sincerity, honesty and shows initiative.
In short, take the same approach of will smith when he was portraying William Gardner in the Pursuit of Happiness movie. When he was asked a question he couldn’t answer a question he responded as follows “ Can I say something? Um, I’m the type of person that if you ask me a question and I don’t know the answer, I’m gonna tell you that I don’t know. But I bet you what, I know how to find the answer and I will find the answer”.
7.You’re Wrong
No matter what the nature of the preexisting relationship between you and your boss is like, no one likes to be told he is just wrong. Not only does this represent a hit to his ego but its a sure excluder of any meetings or just ignored.
A great way is to dismantle his ego by simply phrasing it in a way that shows that there is a level of uncertainty or that that outcome is based on what you were informed with.
8. I just assumed that…
A good manager would rather hear that you have learnt from your mistake and work on how to avoid doing it again, rather than trying to shift the blame to someone or something else.
This course of action does not only clarify your intention, but it also displays responsibility, ability to take constructive feedback & build on it in terms of actions.
9. I heard x got a promotion
In General, whether yours in a conversation with your boss or your colleagues it’s best that you focus on your Potion and what you need to advance in your career.
Better yet you could observe and see how that person gained that position and follow in his footsteps.
10. Don’t go out in flames
We all know that if we no longer have any stakes in our current work and might want to leave today before tomorrow but you should always leave on good terms with your colleagues & superiors.
The connections you’ve created in your old workplace are valuable and worth not ruining them, you don’t know when you might need them and they already have years of investment put into it.
These were 10 of the most common things you should avoid saying to your boss or employer. Today’s working environments are not the easiest to manage or navigate especially if you don’t have the most understanding manager in the world. IN the words of the great Denzel Washington its chess not checkers.
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