"Just Say NO"

One of the most frequent pieces of advice I received as a pre-tenure
faculty member was "just say no." I always felt frustrated by this advice because (while well-intended) it is far easier said than done, especially for faculty of color. For under-represented faculty members, the reality is that you will receive a disproportionately high number of service requests and that additional service will neither be rewarded, nor serve as a substitute for published research when you are evaluated for promotion and tenure. As a result, we are all challenged to say "no" far more often than we would like in order to have the necessary time to excel in the areas that matter most in receiving promotion: research and teaching.

Just Say No!

I continue to struggle with the "just say no" advice, but I have improved over time. The keys to making it work are: 1) self-awareness about why we feel the need to say "yes" so often and 2) developing a process for evaluating and responding to the never-ending stream of service requests we receive. Here are the guidelines that Tracey Laszloffy and I suggest in The Black Academic's Guide to Winning Tenure Without Losing Your Soul: AVOID SAYING "YES" ON THE SPOT: Whenever someone asks you to do something, try your best to buy some time. Say something like "Let me check my calendar/workload and I'll get back to you," "I'm currently overwhelmed, so I need to think seriously about taking on any more commitments" or just "I'll email you tomorrow." ESTIMATE HOW LONG IT WILL ACTUALLY TAKE YOU TO COMPLETE THE REQUEST I keep track of how much time various requests take so that I can be informed when I make decisions. For example, while a search committee may sound exciting, important, and a chance for a few free dinners, it also takes me between 70-80 hours of time from the initial meeting to the receipt of a signed offer letter. An independent study = 15 hours, an article review = 6 hours, an "informal talk" to a student group = 5 hours. Your time estimates may be different than mine but what's important is connecting the request with actual hours of labor. CONSULT YOUR CALENDAR Like most of you, my calendar is jam packed and the further we get into the semester, the less time I have available. When someone makes a request, ask yourself: what specific day and time do I have available to complete this task? Not in a general sense, but literally what day, and what hours are free in your calendar for this activity? Given that I'm not going to compromise my daily writing, research time, or my class time, this often makes the decision clear and easy. If I can't schedule it in my calendar, I can't do it. ASK YOURSELF: WHY WOULD I SAY "YES"? For a long time, "yes" was my unconscious default response. I automatically responded "yes" and thought I had to have a special reason to say "no." Then each semester, I ended up spending too much time on service, got exhausted, and became angry and resentful. Finally I started asking myself: "why do you keep saying yes all the time?" For me, it was some combination of wanting to please others, avoid punishment, overcompensate for other aspects of my work where I felt less confident, correct longstanding historical and structural inequalities at my institution, single-handedly make up for all the systemic failures my students had experienced in their academic career, and nullify all stereotypes by being super-black-faculty-member. With all that going on under the surface, no wonder I said "yes" to every request and then felt guilt, shame and disappointment every time I said "no." Thankfully, once I realized why I said "yes" so often, I was able to flip my default upside down. Now my automatic response is "no" and I require a special reason to say "yes" (and don't worry, there are still plenty of those). FIGURE OUT HOW TO SAY "NO" AND DO IT! There are so many ways to say no and I am always shocked by how easily people accept "no" for an answer and move on to find someone else to fulfill their request. You could say "no" in any of the following ways: 1. "That sounds like a really great opportunity, but I just can't take on any additional commitments at this time." 2. "I am in the middle of a _________, ____________, and ___________ and if I hope to get tenure, I'm unable to take on any additional service." 3. "I'm not the best person for this, why don't you ask ______________." 4. "If you can find a way to eliminate one of my existing service obligations, I will consider your request." 5. "No." (look the asker in the eye and sit in silence).

The Weekly Challenge

This week, I want to challenge you to do the following: If you feel overwhelmed by service (or aren't happy with your research and writing productivity), patiently ask yourself why you say "yes" so often. Gently acknowledge that as a pre-tenure faculty member you must manage service requests, and as an under-represented faculty member you will ALWAYS have more service requests than time to fulfill them. For one week, say "no" to EVERY new request you receive (just to see what it feels like). With each request, ask yourself for a reason to say "yes" instead of a reason to say "no". Review your calendar and existing tasks before saying "yes" to any new commitments. Re-commit yourself to 30-60 minutes each day for your writing. If you haven't determined your semester goals, it's not too late. Consider joining the OCTOBER WRITING CHALLENGE (it starts October 1st on the  discussion forum). I hope this week brings you insight into the reasons why you say "yes" and the strength to say "no" often, confidently, and without guilt. Peace & Productivity, Kerry Ann Rockquemore Associate Professor African American Studies and Sociology University of Illinois at Chicago KerryAnn@NewFacultySuccess.com