Say No, Like a Boss! OSCON

Say No, Like a Boss!Deb Nicholson - OSCON

July 22nd 2015

The boss of YOU

“Work Awesomeness”

Receipts

Burnout is Bad

Tired all the time

Grumpy and impatient

I totally got this.

Orienteering

Hey, are you still playing the drums?

No time for drums

Work isstressful

Work isstressful

Co-workersnot nice

Employer is kind of evil

Work isstressful

Co-workersnot nice

Employer is kind of evil

Work isstressful

Co-workersnot niceCan't take

vacation

Where do you want to go?

Are you waving in

the rotary?

How have others gotten there?

You may have to go somewhere else

What exactly do you need to start

saying no to?

Too much work

Poorly defined work

1. Start with the best part

2. Let's talk details soon

3. How much time should I

spend on this?

Work you don't want to do

Is it cost-effective?

Can you automate or outsource it?

Could you oversee it instead?

Verbal Self-defense

That's what I expected from someone like you.

That's what I expected from someone like you.

When did you start having these

thoughts about people like me?

Everyone knows that you've been struggling

Everyone knows that you've been struggling

It's really nice to know that

everyone has been

thinking about me

Everyone says this is the way to do websites

Everyone says this is the way to do websites

It's definitely a popular way to do websites

No one thinks that particular new technology really works

No one thinks that particular new technology really works

That's an idea that I've heard a lot lately too.

How to say no to clients gracefully

Don't pretend

Solid network of referrals

Recap

Put today's work into a larger context

Suggest an appealing alternative

Stay in “computer” mode

No.

...and I have a better idea.

Picture CreditsCC.BY on Flickr

Water Drop by Koshy Koshy (filtered) – Railroad Crossing by upsidedown sphere – Pie by Benny Mazur – Cat in Chaise Lounge by Windell Oskay – Wind Power by

Hakan Dahlstrohm – Coffee and Donuts by Kenny Louie – Wave (with water bottles) by Robert S. Donovan – Berry Hard Work by JD Hancock – Udo Vader by

Juhan Sonin – Forex Money by Espos.de – Yellow Spring by Berit Watkin

CC.BY.SAReally Fat Happy Cat by Connie Ma (Flickr) – Whedon/Fillion by Rob Wynne (Flickr) – Eurasian Magpie by Jean Jacques Boujot (Wikipedia) – Too Many

Pigeons by Ben Frantz Dale (Wikipedia)

Fair UseAnimal from The Muppets (Disney), Keep Calm and Do Your Research, John

Stewart, Tina Fey, Elsa from Frozen (Disney), Grumpy Cat with L'il Bub, Grumpy Cat in Nature

Awesome!

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