Workplace Multiplier by Tola Akinsulire

May 29, 2025

Welcome to the Workplace Multiplier newsletter. Published Monday to Friday, equipping you to achieve your professional goals faster and without burnout or overwhelm by leveraging The Triple Win Method.

Don't Say YES to That Before Reading This...

Howdy ,

Your calendar is hijacked. Your inbox is exploding. Everyone wants a piece of you at work - meetings, sessions, urgent deliverables with impossible deadlines.

One of your biggest superpowers? Learning to say "No" without guilt.

Yes, saying "No" without feeling guilty can be a superpower for you to do your best work.

How can this be?

Saying "No" helps you to define your work world. You choose what comes in and keep out the stuff you don't want. This single skill has saved me hours per week and dramatically improved my work quality.

There are two ways to say "No".

First, be comfortable saying "No" without giving reasons. Why is this important? Because you master the fine art of letting people negotiate and bid for your attention.

I do this now and again when I get a meeting invite at work. Especially, if there is no agenda included in the invite. I reject the invite and let the person try to convince me why I have to be part of the meeting.

Second, be able to say "No" without over-explaining yourself. What do I mean? Simply telling people "No", followed by a short sentence, is enough. Too much storytelling complicates what you are saying to the person on the other side.

What follows after saying "No" must not be too long, so the other person forgets your "No".

And it works with bosses, too.

For example, your boss shows up to ask you to deliver something with a very short deadline. Let's assume you already have something else you are working on, which would make it impossible to meet the new deadline. Well, here is a short script for you.

You simply say, "I can't meet that deadline. I'm working on [project] due [date]. Should I drop this to prioritize the new request?"

That's your game-changer move.

You must develop your "No" superpower because it strengthens your ability to maintain your boundaries.

Here's me practicing what I preach right now:

I am currently on a short vacation to attend to some important personal matters. Before I left, I sent an email to the team leads working with me stating that I would not be disturbed during my vacation.

Yes, I will not be approving documents - someone else will handle that. I will not be attending virtual meetings - period. When someone called yesterday asking me to join today's management meeting, my response was simple: Count me out.

Master your "No" superpower. It's not about being difficult - it's about protecting your capacity to do your best work.

Your boundaries determine your impact.

Keep winning at work and in life.

Tola Akinsulire

Your Strategic Workplace Mentor

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Want to get in on some of the lessons I have picked up in my career? Get my eBook "21 Lessons I Learned in My Career - A Primer to Help You Become Better at Work". Get it here

Do you work in a new country, or does your work involve working with people outside your country? Get my acclaimed book "Winning Beyond Borders: Achieving Success at Work in a New Country". Get it here

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