The situation:

Imagine that you are a seller who has been

working in a start-up for the past two years.
It is 4 o’clock on a Friday evening and you
are ready to go home. You've been working
almost non-stop to finish a proposal so that
you can get home early for a family night.
Just as you are turning off your laptop,
Hannah, your manager walks in.

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 Hannah asks you to review a proposal. She is
apologetic; she meant to talk to you earlier,
but it slipped her mind.
Hannah tells you that while this could wait
until Monday, this shouldn't take you long
and she would rather have your review of the
proposal by 5:30 this evening.

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Think about how you would feel in this
situation. Which of the following options do
you think is the proper way to respond to
Hannah's request?
A. Tell Hannah yes. Hannah is your
manager, and the task sounds critical.
B. Tell Hannah no. Politely explain that you
have personal plans and tell your
manager that you will do the task on
Monday.
C. Tell Hannah no. Let Hannah see your
irritation at her bringing this task to you
so late in the day.

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 The best answer would be:
B. Tell Hannah no. Politely explain that you
have personal plans and tell your manager
that you will do the task on Monday.
You should be honest about your feelings and
calmly explain that you have commitments.
Doing this isn’t unreasonable. The task, after
all, can wait until Monday. While your
manager might be disappointed, in the long
term she will respect you for standing up for
yourself.

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