Why I say no to 80% of the projects I am asked to join

Yes, that’s right, I say no to 80% of the projects I am approached about. Lucky me some might say. Others may also ask why? 

As I discussed in my previous article, saying no is, in my view, an essential skill to have and there are many reasons for this (check out what I had to say on this here). With this in mind, I have, over the years, tried to finetune my decision making process. When I am asked to commit to a project, I have three very clear criteria that I look at and that have to work for me.

Firstly, I have to believe in the person that has offered me the project. Do we have shared values? Will we work well together? Do I believe in them?

If the answers here are all yes, then I need to believe in the purpose. Again, it’s about deciding whether this a project that connects with my beliefs. How can I add value? Who do I know that can support this organisation with their purpose?

If I believe in what they are trying to do and I believe I can add real value, then I need to assess how well run the organisation is. Does a meeting scheduled to last for an hour then take three hours? How often does that happen? Are the outstanding items on an agenda longer than the agenda? How often are meetings rescheduled? These may not seem significant, but if an organisation cannot get these things right, it does not bode well for how they manage the bigger issues. 

If the opportunity passes this overall assessment, then I am happy to be considered for this opportunity. There are a lot of things that need to be right for the opportunity to be right. It is because of this assessment, that I end up saying no rather than yes to 80% of the opportunities that come my way. It’s just not a good fit and I wouldn’t want to give someone the opportunity to regularly waste my time. Time is a precious commodity. And one of the few things you simply don’t get back.