How to Say No to Your Boss

It’s Not Necessarily a “Career Limiting Move”

April 8, 2025

We hear how so many people are juggling so much at work. More demands, deadlines and other constraints add to the pressure. As a team player, you’ve likely found yourself in a situation where a senior leader or executive has asked you to take on an additional task or project that could just put you over the edge. You might be facing a critical deadline on your most important project, your workload is already overflowing, or you could be covering for a teammate who has been out sick or on vacation. Whatever the reason, telling the higher-ups, “NO” can feel like an alien idea. You might think you shouldn’t consider it because it could have negative consequences. But here’s some good news: there’s a way to say “No” to a boss without actually saying the word.

You’ll have to approach the conversation strategically. The requestor will have to understand the why behind your answer and see that it is not feasible at this time. Ideally, you’ll put forth your rationale in such a way that the leader arrives at the conclusion themselves.

Take a look at the situation faced by one of my former colleagues:

Cecilia’s career had been built on completing highly technical deliverables to complete IT applications in support areas of the company. She is a technical specialist who focused on delivering documentation to facilitate adoption of the new apps. For her latest project, she was in the final stages of completing the documentation when her manager approached her with a new project. Cecilia knew that she still had a couple of weeks to go to complete her current project with the high-quality standards the work demanded.

Her boss explained that the company was preparing to launch another IT project to revamp some of the financial systems. They were looking for someone to lead user testing. Because of her background and successful track record, Cecilia was a natural fit. But she knew that saying yes to the new work at that time would potentially compromise the timeline and quality of her current project.

How could she tell him “No”?

She asked for time to think about it before getting back to her boss. While she knew that the finance IT project was important and high-profile, she also understood that her current work was directly related to improving customer deliveries. To evaluate the request, her approach would be to list out the reasons to decline the opportunity. At the top of this list was the importance of her current documentation project. If she made a mistake or completed it late, it would have a big impact on customer delivery times.

She decided it was not the right time to take on the new project. She thought carefully about how she would tell her boss. She told him about the status of her current work and emphasized the importance of staying focused to ensure high quality and on-time completion. She let her boss know that she was interested and excited about the new project, and she asked if there was flexibility in the timelines. Her approach was constructive and helpful, while also emphasizing her commitment to completing her current project. She stayed focused while not directly saying “No” to the new project. Her manager was left with a decision to make.

How can you handle a similar situation when it happens to you? There are few important steps to manage it successfully.

1. Start with Why “No”

Try to give yourself some time to consider a request to take on a new task or project. This will allow you to develop a clear rationale. Write down the specific reasons why taking on the new work would be challenging and try to estimate the impact it would have on your current work, the work of the team, or even customers. Your manager will listen to thoughtful reasoning more carefully than simply saying “I can’t” or “I don’t want to”. Some potential examples include:

Facing a critical deadline
Request is outside of your expertise
Insufficient resources for new project
Other team members are relying on you to finish your current project

Listing the reasons to decline will help you see the most important downsides. It will also help you set up the right way to communicate that you can’t take on the new work.

2. Frame the “Yes” Trade-offs

What would happen if you say “Yes”? While our initial reaction in times of stress or work overload is to say “No”, sometimes it is helpful to look at the opposite side of the issue. Think through the implications of agreeing to the new work. Consider what it would it mean to your workload and how you might manage it, how it would impact your teammates, what it means for your development, and how it would affect your work-life balance. Some guiding questions to ask yourself:

If I take this on, could I also complete my other projects?
What are the opportunity costs?
How does this impact my professional development?
What trade-offs would have to made?

Imagining how saying “Yes” to the new assignment would play out can put you in a stronger position to effectively communicate a “No” answer. It seems counterintuitive, but it will show that you are not just pushing back on taking on more work, but you are thinking about the big picture and the overall impact to you, your department and your company.

3. Choose Your Communication

After thinking through the rationale behind a “No” and a “Yes” answer, you’re ready to figure out a delivery that will land well with your boss. You’ll want to start by communicating the status of your current projects, the workload and expected timing of any pending deliverables. Then you’re going to demonstrate your engagement and appreciation for additional opportunities to contribute.

From there, the different approaches fall into one of 4 categories:

Approach

You might say…

Leading Questions: discover their rationale

“Given my current projects, do you think this new work should take priority over X?”

Asking for Help: go to another colleague for input

“I want to make sure I’m thinking about this the right way. I’d like to check with [my mentor; another team member] to see if there’s room to shift anything to accommodate this request.”

Revisiting Strategic Priorities: align to the bigger picture

“Right now, I’m focusing on delivering X and Y, which align with our goals for the quarter. Would it make sense to deprioritize one of them to make room for this?”

“Right now, I’m in the final stretch of delivering Project X, which is due next week and has significant visibility with the leadership team. Adding this task would put that deadline at risk.”

Compromising with a “Not Yet”: figure out better timing

“I’d love to contribute, but with my current workload, I wouldn’t be able to give this the attention it deserves. Would it be possible to revisit this next quarter?”

These approaches take into account your solution-oriented mindset and your ability to focus on overall company priorities. You’re facing this situation in a positive and constructive way, looking for an answer that will work for everyone. You’re also involving other stakeholders and advisors to help you communicate with your boss in the most effective way possible. It will keep you in line for opportunities in the future. This approached worked out for Cecilia:

Cecilia’s boss took to heart what she told her about the importance of staying focused on her current documentation work. Cecilia had effectively communicated the status of her current workload and how it was aligned to the company’s strategic customer satisfaction objective. While Cecilia ultimately did not end up working on the user testing for the new finance application, she was called in for a high-profile project when her documentation project was completed (on time!).

Call to Action

You’re going to have to learn to say “No” – whether it’s to your direct manager or a more senior leader. This will be critical to help you manage your own workload and continue to complete your work on time and with high standards. The result will be a solid reputation as someone who delivers, and someone who is thoughtful and strategic in their approach to taking on new assignments. Remember the 3 basics steps:

Provide the rationale
Frame the trade-offs
Communicate the solution

By providing a clear rationale, framing the trade-offs, and communicating a solution, you’ll not only avoid saying “No” directly – you’ll also build credibility and trust.

Leadership is about making smart choices that drive the best outcomes for the business and for you. You’ll appreciate it when you have managed your work and your overall priorities wisely. Knowing when to say “No”, “Not Now” and “Yes” will remain important skills throughout your working life.