#225 from R&D Innovator Volume 5, Number 7          July 1996

If You Want to Get Ahead, Never Say....
by John R. Graham

Mr. Graham is president of Graham Communications, a marketing services and sales consulting firm in Quincy, Massachusetts (phone 617-328-0069).  He is author of Magnet Marketing:  The Ultimate Strategy for Attracting and Holding Customers (Wiley, New York, YEAR?) and 203 Ways to be Supremely Successful in the New World of Selling (Macmillan, New York, 1996).

What does it take to get ahead today?  When you get past the buzzwords of management baloney, what does it really take to succeed?  While the experts may recommend cutting-edge skills and being a good team player as the critical ingredients for success, there are other, even more essential attributes.  You may not read about them in the latest management books, but they are still at the top of the list.

Clearly separating the average manager from the superior performer is the certain basic, but often lacking, quality: the ability to act.  That’s not always easy.  Just to use the word “action” strikes fear in many corporate minds.  Action is dangerous because it can lead to failure, as well as success.  What is even worse, what seems to one person as success can be cleverly distorted by a rival.  In a fragile employment environment, who can afford to take a chance on being criticized?

Yet, such an attitude reaps very short-term results at best.  Clearly, the quickest way to achieve success is to be seen as one who is constantly finding ways to move forward and the best ways to accomplish this goal is by eliminating negatives.  Anyone who wants to be viewed as a “star” performer at any level can move into the spotlight by striving to avoid certain phrases that send the wrong signal.  In a high-pressure organization, few have sufficient time to delve into a thorough understanding of individuals and issues, the wrong words can end a career or the chances for advancement because they come to be symbolic of the person.

Here is a list of phrases that raise serious “red flags.”  To be identified with them is to put yourself in jeopardy.

1.  Never say, “They didn’t get back to me.”  Or, “They are getting back to me.”  Both of these statements are dangerous.  The phrase suggests that you’re not a follow-through, stay-on-top-of-things person.  You lack urgency.  Waiting for someone to get back to you freezes the action.  Nothing is happening.  So take the initiative.  Never wait for anyone to return your telephone call, to respond to your letter, to answer your fax.  If this is your priority, it is up to you to make it happen.

2.  Never say, “I thought someone else was taking care of that.”  What’s the message here?  Very simply:  those who use such words lack vision.  They are only interested in their tiny tidbit of turf.  This excuse only creates a serious roadblock to action.  You appear to be the type of person who is content to do what you’re told; but no one ought to expect you to suggest what should be happening.  If you take the approach of always asking questions, you’ll be seen as someone who keeps things moving.

3.  Never say, “No one ever told me.”  Let your supervisor hear you talk this way very often and you will have drawn a very clear picture about the way you work.  You operate in a tunnel, oblivious to everything that’s going on around you.  You may do your work well, but that isn’t enough today.  The ability to anticipate the next step, to see what’s missing in a project and to look for opportunities to do more are primary skills.

4.  Never say, “I just assumed....”  Making assumptions may be the primary career killer.  In an environment where job survival is increasingly more difficult, coworkers are looking out for themselves, not for you.  Always check your assumptions:  Are you operating on correct information?  Has anything changed?  If so, what difference can it make?  This is the stuff of which downsizing is made.

5.  Never say, “I left her a message.”  Although it should seem obvious, sending a message is not the same as getting the message across.  Voice mail has caused many people to conclude that leaving a message—even a detailed one—is the same as talking to the person.  In many cases, a voice message is all that’s necessary.  But in most cases, “leaving a message” is only a minor part of the communication process.  Having left a message doesn’t mean you have accomplished anything or that the responsibility is now passed to the person you called.

6.  Never say, “I didn’t know you wanted me to do that.”  “Gee, I didn’t know you wanted me to do that” doesn’t compute today.  Why are these words so devastating to employment security?  Expressing statements such as this indicates that you’re only capable of doing what you’re told, and nothing more.  The translation is simple:  you lack initiative.

7.  Never say, “I didn’t have time.”  And don’t bother with, “I was too busy,” either.  If you don’t have time, then it’s quite possible that you are a poor manager.  You may be disorganized or lack the skills to do the job efficiently.  Or you may be unwilling to commit the time necessary to perform up to expectations. 

8.  Never say, “I didn’t think to ask about that.”  Asking questions is perhaps the key business skill.  It means you’re looking at the assignment or task from various angles.  You can see more than one approach to solving the problem.  Here’s the point:  Anticipating what needs to be done is the job.  An inability to see down the road may indicate that you lack the ability to understand and grasp relationships.

9.  Never say, “But it isn’t due until....”  Last minute performance is out.  This is not college where you can stay up all night and cram for the exam.  Projects, reports, presentations and assignments that are left to the last minute cannot be properly evaluated.  There are employees who prefer it this way, of course.  But managers know that what’s done at the last minute doesn’t leave time for adequate review, revision and refinement. 

10.  Never say, “But they said it would be done on time.”  Responsibility can never be transferred.  If you are given the task, it’s yours no matter who else may be involved.  It’s all yours.  Discovering at the last minute that something won’t be done on time even though it was promised, doesn’t allow for the responsibility to be passed to those who have caused the problem.  It’s the same as saying, “I couldn’t get to work because my car broke down.”  Getting to work isn’t your car’s responsibility; it’s yours.  Failing to perform because someone lets you down doesn’t transfer responsibility to that person.

11.  Never say, “It’s scheduled for....”  Subtleties are the snag.  For some reason or other, there are those who think that choosing their words carefully relieves them of obligations.  “It’s scheduled for” is quite different from saying, “You will have it at 10:00 a.m. as you requested.”  One statement creates doubt, while the other projects confidence.  Scheduling is only important if completion will be on time.  Schedules must be actively verified as many times as necessary.

12.  Never say, “As I understand it....”  Star performers speak definitively, while average employees speak conditionally.  If you ask, “Will it be delivered on time?”  there are two answers:  “As I understand it, it should be here...” and “Yes, it will be here.”  Conditional statements don’t count.  “As I understand it” paints a picture of you as a bystander, not an active participant.

13.  Never say, “I’ll do it as soon as I get it from....”  Sorry, not good enough for today’s competitive workplace.  More than ever before, business is a matter of linkages.  If you’re just a cog in the process, you’re easily replaceable.  Even though it may not be your fault that a project is hung up in another department, you’re smart if you make it your responsibility to get it in your hands on time.

14.  Never say, “I’m going to get on that right away.”  Or “that’s next on my list.”  There are times when we all fall behind.  But here are those who only move when they are prodded.  Anyone who operates this way is in trouble because it communicates the message that you’re disorganized and deal only with assignments when they are called to your attention. 

15.  Never say, “I’ve been trying to get everyone together, but....”  These words send a powerful message to the boss.  They make it clear that one of three things must be true:  a)  you dropped the ball and didn’t call the meeting; b)  you cannot handle the responsibility that’s been given to you; or c)  you don’t have the respect of your associates and coworkers who fail to respond to you.  Take your choice; any one of these means serious trouble.

16.  Never say, “We’ve been playing telephone tag.”  The operative word here is “playing.”  On the surface, you may think you’re letting it be known how busy you are or that the fault rests with the person you’re trying to reach.  Sorry, that’s a wrong number.  Why?  If you’re “playing telephone tag,” you’re not living in real time—today, not tomorrow.  Do whatever is necessary to stop this from happening.  If necessary, get a beeper and publicize your number.  List your home telephone number on your business card.  Carry a cellular telephone.

17.  Never say, “I haven’t been able to get through to her....”  The best has been left for last.  Of course, everyone is busier than ever.  Of course, we do whatever we can to protect ourselves from interruptions.  Of course, we turn on the voice mail to filter out all but the most essential calls.  Getting through is a terrible problem that is only going to become worse.  The barriers are higher than ever, and seemingly impenetrable at times.  But there are not valid excuses for failing to get through.  So, get creative.  Send flowers.  Hire a limo.  Do whatever it takes to get attention.  Don’t sit back and complain.

The message today is very clear.  Dedication is wonderful, but it’s not enough.  Being at work every day is helpful, of course.  But it’s not enough.  The only measure for success is performance.  Whatever the roadblocks standing in your way, it is your job to remove them.  Otherwise, you’ll be perceived as one of them.