What is the worst thing you could say to your boss?
“I can’t…”
It’s almost irrelevant what words complete the sentence.
If you speak the words, “I can’t…”, a spotlight beams down upon you exposing your lack of resilience; you sound like you’ve already given up.
The words “I can’t…” present a problem. The words “I can’t…” do not offer a solution. Problems are inevitable but solutions are created from honesty, effort and resilience.
When faced with a problem, we must first be honest with ourselves. Being able to reflect on what has happened plays a significant role in being honest. To facilitate a reflective dialogue with ourselves, we can write down a number of open questions to answer;
“What did I do that contributed to this problem?”
“When did I feel that this problem was getting bigger?”
“What could I have done differently?”
“Who could I have asked for help before the problem got this big?”
Appreciating that your questioning should be specific and direct to the issues at hand, this reflection will elicit ideas for moving forwards. Writing down your ideas for action is a great way to hold yourself accountable. It is this action that requires effort.
Effort is generated from a can do, will do attitude. An essential ingredient for effort is positivity. Telling yourself that you can do better and that you will find a solution lay down the needed foundations for success.
Be prepared for your initial efforts to fail at the first test. In fact, in the event of failure after several attempts, it is important to stay determined and focussed on maintaining a problem-solving mentality. Resilience is an attractive trait for employers, managers and coaches and being resilient is certainly the deciding factor between a more complex problem and its often simple solution.
Abandon the I can’t and adopt the I will attitude. The worst thing you could say to your boss is “I can’t”. So don’t. Be a solutions expert who won’t crumble when adversity knocks on the door.
