My boss told me I am "too nice" at work. How could I improve?

Hi there,

It's a very valuable piece of constructive critisicm! And it works not only at workplace, but in all aspects of life.

I don't think she meant you're naive, I think the main point here is about the ability of setting boundaries and thinking about your personal work first and then about helping the others.

Take time to respond. Probably your first answer to any request is "yes". By taking your time you might find out you don't want / can't / don't have time to help somebody rn. Then practice saying no.

Hope it helps!

Cheers

GB

Hi there,

It is a tough problem as balance between collaboration and personal productivity it is not easy.

I would recommend the following:

1. Take time when you get a request. Never answer yes immediately. Use as first answer “I would be willing to support you if I can. Let me check if I can do so given what my manager wants me to do today, if so I will let you know shortly”. After the chat, reflect if you can really dedicate the time and if not politely decline
2. Define 3 goals every day and give priority to them. If you get requests outside that range while work in progress, kindly decline. If you get requests after doing them, feel free to accept
3. Use the Pomodoro technique to quantify the time spent. It is very easy to be distracted. Once you master this technique your productivity will skyrocket and you will have more time to help others

Best,
Francesco

Take this feedback in the right spirit. The main rule is this:

Prioritise your work, deliverables, deadlines and relationships (boss, client) first. Once these are under control offer to help others. Set expectations early on and dont say YES to everything just by habit.

Over time and as you mature in career and become more confident, some of these challenges will go away.

Hi there,

I had this problem as well!

Keep in mind a few things:

• Consultants have an obligation to dissent
• Carry with you "Strong beliefs, loosely held"
• Come in to each meeting with just 1 thing you want to get across/get done...make sure it happens!

Hi,

Thanks for providing context to your question.

The other coaches already gave you interesting perspectives.

I would add two points.

1. The 80-20 rule is really important in consulting. Prioritize your work by setting goals and managing expectations with your managers. Do not micromanage and focus on key value-adding activities.

2. Learn how to say "no" as it is a key factor that is assessed in your performance review in consulting. One way to improve is simply to start saying no!

Hope this helps.

Best,

Antonello