职场生存术：职场中永远不要说的13句话

If you asked someone for help, and the person replied with one ofthe above phrases, how would you feel? As importantly, what wouldit say about him or her? Regardless of how inconvenient orinappropriate a request may be, it is likely important to the otherperson or they would not have asked. Therefore, as a contributingmember of the team, a top priority is to care about the success ofothers (or at least act as though you do). Anunconcerned, detached and self-serving attitudequickly limits career advancement.

She got a raise, you didn’t. He was recognized, you weren’t. Somepeople have food to eat while others starves. Injustices happen onthe job and in the world every day. Whether it’s a troubling issueat work or a serious problem for the planet, the point in avoidingthis phrase is to be proactive about the issues versus complaining,or worse, passively whining. Instead, document the facts, build acase, and present an intelligent argument to the person or groupwho can help you.

In speaking with hundreds of executives and senior leaders over thepast twenty years, certain phrases consistently come up ascareer-limiting phrases that jeopardize one’s professional imageand potential for promotion. To the speaker they may seem likeharmless words, however, to the listener they reveal a morecritical issue: In a workplace where employers must becutting-edge, competitive, and cost-effective, employees who usethese phrases will likely be replaced with those who convey a morepositive attitude,collaborative spirit, proactive behavior andprofessional demeanor. Here are 13 phrases that should be bannedfrom the office:

This doesn’t mean you have to say yes; it does mean you need tobe articulate and thoughtful when sayingno. For example, if your boss issues an unreasonable request,rather than saying, ‘you’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t get paidenough for this,’ instead say, ‘I’ll be glad to help. Given mycurrent tasks of A, B, and C, which one of these shall I place onhold while I work on this new assignment?’ This clearlycommunicates teamwork and helpfulness, while reminding your boss ofyour current work load and the need toset realistic expectations.

千万别说恶意评价，否则最后只能自己受害。如果你确实对某人或某事有意见，还是老练、细致并中立地沟通解决吧。

4. “No problem.”

通过过去二十年来和诸多高管及领导的交流，我发现有些话在职场中比较禁忌，可能会毁掉一个人的职业形象甚或升职机会。说者可能无意，但听者却会看到更为本质的问题：身处职场，员工必须走在前沿、具有竞争力并能节约成本，说话不当的员工很可能被态度积极、团结协作、主动采取行动并且专业有素的员工所取代。以下13句话就绝不能在办公室讲：

6. “他是个傻瓜”，“她很懒”，“我的工作真糟糕”或“我讨厌这家公司”。

3. “I think…”

7. “But we’ve always done it that way.”

Avoid making unkind, judgmental statements that will inevitablyreflect poorly on you. If you have a genuine complaint aboutsomeone or something, communicate the issue withtact,consideration and neutrality.

“在你讲话的时候，尤其是面对上级领导，请把‘试试看’换成‘会去做’。改变虽小，意义却很重大。

3. “我认为……”

5. “I’ll try.”

7. “但这是我们的惯例。”

In your speech, especially with senior leaders, replace the word‘try’ with the word andintention of ‘will.’ This seeminglysmall change speaks volumes.

There is a slight difference in the wording, howeverthe conviction communicated to yourcustomer is profound. You may have noticed, the first phrasecontains two weak words, ‘think’ and ‘might.’ They risk making yousound unsure or insecure about the message. Conversely, the secondsentence is assertive and certain. To convey acommand of content and passion for your subject, substitute theword ‘think’ with ‘believe’ and replace ‘might’ with ‘will.’

这并不是要你有求必应；只是告诉你三思之后再拒绝。例如，如果老板提出不合理的要求，不要说‘开什么玩笑，这根本就不是我的分内之事。’，而应回答‘没问题啊，但我手上还有A、B、C等任务，哪个任务可以暂放一放，以便完成这项新任务呢？’这样说不仅展现了团队精神和乐于助人，还提醒了老板你手上还有活儿，要求不可太过分。

2. “那不是我的问题”，“那不是我的工作”或“这不是我的分内之事”。

下面哪句话听上去更有力？或“我相信/我知道/我确信我们公司将会成为贵方的良好伙伴。”

6. “He’s a jerk,” or “She’s lazy,” or “My job stinks,” or“I hate this company.”

不客气表示你很乐意提供帮助，并且接受对方的感谢。虽然随意一点说‘没问题’也有同样的功能，但意思却远远不足，不仅忽略了对方的感激之情，而且还暗指这个忙在别的情况下可能是个‘问题’。在职场及社会上，如果你想表现得体贴有教养，还是用“不客气”来回答别人的感谢吧。

Nothing tanks a career faster than name-calling. Not only does itreveal juvenile school-yard immaturity, it’s language that isliable and fire-able.

2. “That’s not my problem,” “That’s not my job,” or “Idon’t get paid enough for this.”

她加薪了，你却没有；他受器重了，而你没有。有人温饱就有人挨饿，世界上不公平随处可见，职场也一样。不论是工作碰上麻烦还是地球遇到灾难，要避免不公平，就得积极解决问题，而不是抱怨或者消极发牢骚。相反，你应该实事求是地、向能够提供帮助的人或组织有理有据地来表达意见。

1. “It’s not fair.”

只是用词略有变动，但传达给客户的信心却很不一样。你们应该注意到，第一句话中的‘认为’和‘可能’语气较弱，使信息听上去不那么确凿肯定。相反，第二句话则确信肯定多了。为表达你讲话内容的坚定和激情，应将‘认为’和‘可能’换成‘相信’和‘将要’。

Which of these two statements sounds more authoritative?: “I think our company might be a goodpartner for you.” Or, “I believe…” “I know…” or “I am confidentthat our company will be a good partner for you.”

如果你请某人帮忙，却得到上面这样的回答，你会怎么想？重要的是，说出这种话的人又能怎样呢？不管请求多么不方便或不恰当，如果不那么重要，别人也就不必开口求助了。所以，作为团队成员，首先应将他人的成功放第一位（或至少表示一下自己的心意）。冷漠离群、以自我为中心的态度很快便会断送职业发展。

4. “没问题。”

Imagine it’s April 15th and you ask a friend to mail your taxreturns before 5pm on his way to the post office. If he replies,‘Okay, I’ll try,’ you’ll likely feel the need to mail themyourself. Why? Because that phrase implies the possibility offailure.