Saying "no" is essential.

Especially if you work on a team. People will want your time. People will ask for your time. If you want to get important things done*, you will have to learn how to say "no."

*for your company, for yourself, for your family - it all applies

Especially if you have the desire to do great work others can't do. Especially if you believe you can do great work others can't do.

Saying "no" is a skill. Here are some ways you can do it:

• Based on the other high-priority projects I'm working on right now (including X, Y, and Z), I won't be able to have that for you by then. Would it be okay if I get it to you by [a date in the not-too-distant future]?

• With lots of other high-priority projects I need to focus on, I can't create that for you. But if you want to throw a draft together, I would be glad to look it over for you and provide my feedback.

• I can do that for you. But full disclosure, I have a lot on my plate at the moment with [X, Y, and Z], so I'm happy to get this done for you on one condition. That in the future, you give me at least [X days/hours] to turn it around in the future. Deal?

And if you really have something important, like a directive from an executive that you're concerned you won't be able to finish in time without abdicating other essential duties, here's one way to handle it:

• I'm not sure I'll be able to get [item we discussed] done in [timeframe we discussed]. But, I would be able to [similar but slightly pared down idea]. How does that sound? If we went this route, we would miss out on [benefits A and B from the original plan]. But we would still get [benefits X, Y, and Z], and I'd be able to turn it around by [timeframe we discussed]. If this is non-negotiable, I'd be glad to [complete item we discussed] in [timeframe we discussed], if I can nudge back [X, Y, and Z other organizational priorities]. Or else, I would be able to turn around [complete item we discussed] by [timeframe slightly farther in the future].

That was a dense one. Let's check the replay and break that down into each of its parts:

• I'm not sure I'll be able to get [item we discussed] done in [timeframe we discussed].

• But, I would be able to [similar but slightly pared down idea]. How does that sound?

• If we went this route, we would miss out on [benefits A and B from the original plan]. But we would still get [benefits X, Y, and Z], and I'd be able to turn it around by [timeframe we discussed].

• If this is non-negotiable, I'd be glad to [complete item we discussed] in [timeframe we discussed], if I can nudge back [X, Y, and Z other organizational priorities].

• Or else, I would be able to turn around [complete item we discussed] by [timeframe slightly farther in the future].

This way, you're giving them lots of choices. You're making it easy for your executive to do what they do best - make the right judgment call on how to allocate resources based on current objectives. I bet they'll appreciate that.

The thing is, these are only a few ways to do it. Everyone has their own style, and you should cultivate and call upon yours when communicating. If it helps, use these as a framework to help you say "no" while keeping your internal (and external) clients happily served.