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Should I get PMP certified?
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“Hi I already have a lot on my plate and this isn’t a good fit for me. Have a great weekend!”
Chief
This response is best used on a Tuesday.
I’m also a fan of “I don’t have bandwidth but I recommend reaching out to ABC to see if they can help!”
I prefer to spin it as “give someone else the opportunity” instead of “throw someone under the bus”. In all seriousness I’d ask a friend or two first if they’d want to do it before I suggest their names! Only been a few times in almost a dozen years I really couldn’t find someone interested.
Rising Star
“I am currently working X, Y, and Z and don’t think I would be able to give this initiative the proper effort it deserves. I can let you know when I have some bandwidth”
Also I recommend reading “Essentialism” — really good tips about prioritizing your time and doing only things that are aligned to your personal / professional goals.
Chief
In all sincerity: learning how to turn down other people’s low-value boondoggles is an essential skill. People will always try to get you to do their stuff with them. Sometimes it’s a valuable use of time (building a new service offering, authoring a white paper, helping on proposals that have a high chance of success), but often times it’s just trash (helping with proposals led by low-performing directors/partners that have a low chance of success, “let’s build a quals database!!!!”). Learning how to identify high-value initiatives, and gracefully brush off the ones that aren’t going to advance your career, is one of the most important things I’ve learned in this business.
“Any other time, I would have loved to take this up but I currently have a lot on my plate. I’m worried that I won’t be able to give the time it deserves and recommend getting someone else involved. If you’d like, can check with X, Y and Z if they want to be involved”
Chief
“NO.”
Say something else you're working on that takes way less work