Yes, No, Maybe...I don't know?
The secret hack on when to say Yes & No in your career
“Can you repeat the question” (Malcolm in the Middle fans where you at?!). A familiar tune, and a line that I’ve also seen many times on the cricket pitch running between the wickets (usually because of my indecisiveness- sorry lads!).
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Throughout my career I’ve had to alternate between all 4 at various times. New work? New opportunities? New projects? Yeah, nah, maybe? How do you know when to say yes, and when to say no? There are 3 levels, and this is what I’ve learned:
Level 1 (YES) - Say ‘Yes’ to a lot, maybe even everything. There are two things that many early in their career take time to figure out: A) Their strengths, B) Their journey, or career pathway (i.e. what they’d like to do potentially forever - daunting isn’t it!). Saying ‘Yes’ exposes you to various opportunities to learn and figure out things about yourself that a cookie cutter pathway might not. Take it from me… 6 years in Audit, took a phone call from a friend, ended up in a BA Reporting role. Opportunities opened up in front of me and a few years later, ended up in HR. What sounds like madness was completely defining for me to realise my strengths (and my weaknesses).
Level 2 (GROWTH)- When you realise what your strengths are and what you’re good at, start leaning into that more. If you’re doing something that underutilizes your strengths, I’ve got bad news for you. Start seeing your strength as your super-power. You don’t see the Hulk trying to harness thunder and lightening to become like Thor do ya?
Level 3 (NO) - This is the best level- you can start saying ‘No’! You know what your strengths are. You may not know where you want to go next, but you’re certain on 2 things. A) What you’re good at, and B) What you want to keep doing. This is where you start saying ‘No’ to things that aren’t going to help you grow, or keep you motivated. My ‘No’ recently was realising that I love working with and leading people. I may be ok at putting together reports and commentary, but I really don’t like that it takes away from my strengths. Super conscious also many people don’t have the luxury to do this.
Level 3 doesn’t mean game over- it’s just a learning loop. I felt like I got to Level 3 couple of years ago, but then started a different journey to explore a creative side where I’m at Level 1 (shout out to the Park Cricket series + The B-Team Poddy). Ultimately just enjoy learning. We’re in the luckiest era to have ever existed - low unemployment, information at our finger tips, more time on our hands than ever. I watch my 2 year old learn everyday, just curious about everything. “What’s that one?”, “What’s that noise?”. We used to love learning as kids, and then things changed where learning became a chore. When you can find enjoyment in learning again, you’ll come to enjoy the journey from Level 1 to Level 3 much more.