When is it a good thing to say no to a request?

Balance in one's life is perhaps the most important goal for busy people. They can take on many more projects that most others. They also have the ability to say no if they feel they cannot do a good enough job based on their own criteria. They will often say no if the potential project falls outside their scope of expertise. Saying no does not mean they will not help you find someone else to take on the project. Often busy people know a lot of others who would enjoy becoming involved. Have you ever wished you had not taken on a volunteer position because you find it has become tedious and is taking too much of your time? I am sure all of us have been in that position at one time or another. It often happens that we do not know how to say no, or if we do say no we are not forceful enough to make sure it is understood that we cannot take on the project.

So how do you get around projects that will be too much for you to do, such as becoming the head of a committee that will provide special services to a group? Often you can take on the leadership role and delegate most of the work to the committee members. Although you will still have to devote some time, and you will get recognition, you will only be the leader of the working team. For example, you take on the task of being the head of the social committee and have the committee plan the events and then delegate each event to one of the committee members which you simply oversee.

The important part to remember when volunteering for an organization is to go into it with your eyes open. You cannot expect to be successful with a group if you do not have the time to go the extra mile. Remember that strong business relationships are built over time. It takes a great deal of time to gain credibility and to make inroads within a group, and finally to receive the desired leads from the group.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com