How to decline projects or works not preferred?

Question

Dear all: I'd like to seek advice on how to decline project / works that I strongly don't prefer. My current company does not have a well-rounded pooling system. Most of the time, seniors directly choose who they want to pool in the project. From my boss' point of view, I am good at English writing, making good slides, story boarding, thus I am getting more and more marketing material / thought leadership / government policy research type of work (including some translation works).

This is by no means my intention to join the firm, but since I am being positioned as a “writing guy” instead of “number guy”, I am getting more and more request that I strongly want to keep away with. Due to my relatively junior ranking (consultant level), I don' t know how to say no and decline my boss' request skillfully and effectively. How can I end this loop and ask for more interesting projects/works that I prefer? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Hello!

I am sorry to hear that you are getting staffed on projects that you are not enjoying. Here are some of my tips for getting more work than you prefer:

1. Network with senior consultants who are doing the sort of work you are interested in (and ask to get involved in their projects if possible). Find out who is doing the sort of work you are interested in at your company, network with them, find out what new projects they have going on and ask if you can get involved. Do good work so that you are seen as a value-add to any project and come recommended by your colleagues. There will be some limits to this depending on the staffing model at your firm, and how active of a role you are allowed to have in selecting your projects, but in any case developing a good relationship with some senior consultants who are doing the sort of work you are interested in is likely to help your case and make it more likely that they will request you to work with.

2. Be transparent about your needs with your staffing manager/mentor. Have an honest conversation with your staffing manager about how you feel about the projects you are getting staffed on, and what you would like to work on in the future. Don't just state these factors as desires, but explain why - what additional skills you would like to develop that you aren't getting an opportunity to practice, what industries you are interested in, and how this fits into your wider career arc at the firm. If you feel like you are consistently getting staffed on similar projects and aren't learning much from them as a consequence, be open about that too. Having your staffing manager on your side can definitely help you get the sort of work that you want. It would also be worthwhile to discuss these things with a senior mentor (especially if you don't feel confident about your relationship with your staffing manager).

3. Frame it as a development opportunity. You mention that you are being positioned as a “writing guy” instead of a “numbers guy”, which makes it seem like you feel that you are being pigeonholed. If this is the case, frame the work you want as development opportunities for yourself. For instance, if you want to do more “numbers” work, be transparent (with your staffing manager and/or project leadership) about the fact that you want to improve your quantitative analysis. Framing it as a development opportunity rather than a desire can sometimes make it more likely that staffing will work with you on this.

4. Do great work. Even if you are not getting staffed on the projects you want right now, developing a reputation for delivering quality work will make you more desirable as a consultant for any project, which will get you more leeway to pick your own projects down the line.

Hope this helps, and I am happy to talk more about this if you have more questions!

Answer 2

Hi there,

Great question and I think Ian and Sofia already provided great answers. I would recommend the following:

Do a great job with your current tasks. I know it’s not easy as you want to do something else ;) However, show you have the ability to do a great job – you will signal you are reliable and could open to more opportunities if you also do point 2
Discuss with your manager and career advisor your personal interest. Explain to your manager that you understand these tasks should be done and you are willing to do them even if they are not your favorite ones. However, ask if there could be opportunities also to do task XYZ, as these would better fit your interests. Restate you are fine in doing the non-interesting tasks but that you look for opportunities to further grow with other tasks
Look for opportunities to be staffed on new projects fitting more your interest. Create a network of people aligned with your interest. Use your network to open opportunities to do different projects aligned with your long-term goal

Best,

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi there,

This is a fantastic question! It's far too easy to keep roped into things that you don't want to do, just because you become known at “the guy/gal” for it.

My advice is as follows:

Work hard to get staffed on other projects. Then, you don't have to decline your boss as much as simply say you're already. How?
1. Network internally - attend events, get other leadership to know you, etc.
2. Get on good terms with your staffing manager. Make sure they know what you're interested in
3. “Volunteer” and reach out to leadership running projects you're interested in
Flag your needs to your “career manager” - as in, whoever has been assigned to manage your journey through the company
Be open and transparent to your boss - first, make sure your boss is the “open” type. If so, flag to them your interests. Make sure to be clear with them that you are happy to take on anything that he/she/the company needs and understand that's your job….but then also express interest in getting more exposure to x and y