10 Things You Should Never Say to Your Boss
1. "Can you write that down for me?" When you're talking
about the details of a project, writing notes to consult later is great. But
you need to take them yourself, not ask your boss to do it for you.
2. "I just booked plane tickets for next month." Never book
time off without clearing it with your boss. There might be a major project due
that week, or she might have approved others to have that time off and
therefore needed you around. Check with her first before you do anything
irreversible.
3. "My bad." There's nothing more frustrating than an
employee who has made a mistake and doesn't seem to think it's a big deal. When
you make a mistake, take responsibility for it, figure out how you're going to
fix it, and make it clear that you understand its seriousness. Responses like
"my bad" sound cavalier and signal that you don't take work
seriously. Don't use it for anything other than the most minor mistake (like
spilling something in the kitchen, which you then promptly clean up).
4. "I can't work with Joe." Refusing to work with a
colleague is an unusually extreme statement and may mark you as difficult.
Instead, try something like, "I find it hard to work well with Joe because
of X and Y. Do you have any advice on how I can make it go more smoothly?"
5. "I don't know what you'd do without me." No one is
irreplaceable, even the head of your company. Statements like this mark you as
a prima donna who feels entitled to special treatment ... and will make a lot
of managers want to show you that you're wrong.
6. "Do this or I quit." Whether you're asking for a raise
or requesting a day off, don't threaten to quit if you don't get your way. If
you don't get what you want, you can always think it over and decide to
quit,
but if you use it as a threat in the negotiation itself, you'll lose your
manager's respect and poison the relationship.
7.
"I have another offer. Can you
match it?" Using another job offer as a bargaining chip to get your
current employer to pay you more money may be tempting, but it often ends
badly. First, you may be told to take the other offer, even if you don't really
want it--and then you'll have to follow through. Second, even if your employer
does match the offer, they'll now assume you're looking to leave, and you may
be on the top of the lay-off list if the company needs to make cutbacks. If you
want a raise, negotiate it on your own merits.
8.
"What's the big deal?"
Statements like this are dismissive and disrespectful. If your manager is
concerned about something, you need to be concerned about it too. If you
genuinely don't understand what the big deal is, say something like, "I
want to understand where you're coming from so we're on the same page. Can you
help me understand how you're seeing this?"
9.
"I can't do X because I need to do
Y." Don't say that you can't do something your manager is asking of
you. Instead, if there's a conflict with another project, explain the conflict
and ask your manager which is more important.
10."That's not my job." Protesting
that something isn't in your job description is a good way to lose the support
of your boss. Job descriptions aren't comprehensive, and most people end up
doing work that doesn't fall squarely within that job description. (That's what
"and other duties as assigned" means.) You want to make yourself more
valuable to your employer, not less.
A happy man is too satisfied with the present to
dwell too much on the future.
