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In my mind, I call this the “no, but”. When I was an administrator, I’d get all sorts of requests from my staff, from colleagues, from other leaders. To get around saying flat-out no, I’d say “I can’t do that but I can do this”. Made me feel like I had a lot more control over what I agreed to and it allowed me to provide support in ways that met my needs too. A request/ask is really just a starting point for negotiation, in any circumstance.

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Love this framework. It DOES give you more control and sets far more clear parameters around their ask and your commitment.

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