A Tough Client

The weekend travel across the Atlantic Ocean, jet lag & sudden shift in weather showed its effect on Tara. The morning alarm ring was a pure form of torture, and Tara dragged herself out of bed. Mechanically, she dressed to start at a new workplace. She grabbed a quick bite at the hotel & booked an Uber. While Tara waited for a cab to pick her up from the hotel reception, she suppressed a yawn & fought with every ounce of existence to keep her eyes open. During the short commute to the office, she chatted with the cab driver about the weather & how cold it was.

The driver laughed at her naivety & said, "Last week was a heavy snow of 2 feet, now onwards it was going to recede."

Tara rubbed her hands together & wondered if she would have survived last week. Tara reached her destination much earlier than expected & cautiously navigated through the snow-covered sidewalk. She pulled up the zipper of her winter jacket & walked as briskly as possible. When she entered the office building, the warm air brushed her face, and she sighed in relief. She walked up to the front desk & provided the necessary documentation for processing. The receptionist collected the details & requested her to wait.

Tara removed her jacket & settled on the couch. The half hour seemed like an eternity & she tried to stay awake by scrolling social media. The receptionist called & provided her with a new identity card, instructions & other details. As Tara collected her belongings & new laptop, she heard her name called. She recognised the voice & turned towards her manager. It was surreal to meet him in person, as their conversations over the years had been only on calls. They exchanged pleasantries & rode up the elevator. Once she reached the office floor, she located the seat which had her name printed on it & settled. She explored the floor for quick coffee. To her dismay, it was black coffee & utterly bitter. She discarded coffee & instead picked up a cup of hot chocolate.

An hour later, Tara's manager introduced her to the client manager, technical team & senior leaders. A couple of weeks later, Tara had settled into a shared accommodation, figured out commute via public transportation & overcome jet-lag. As a cue, work also seemed to increase day by day. All day she spent in meetings with clients, handling escalations & evening or late nights spent talking to the offshore team. Tara had a new experience of working from an on-site client location; she seemed to walk on eggshells as some clients were temperamental.

Tara was to work closely with the client manager, Ben. As luck would have it, he was known to be short-tempered & would have tiffs with every other person. She was scared to even talk to him, but she had no choice. She balanced his expectations & worked with him. A month passed, and Tara's mailbox flooded with tasks. She couldn't figure out how these tasks or issues reached her. She tried her best to close on the issues. However, they seem to pile on. When Tara brought up the topic of highly sensitive cases, Ben guided her. She was able to handle discussions with the client's legal team, technical team & leadership.

Tara was ecstatic with her achievements in a short period of time. However, that joy was short-lived, for it's a double-edged sword for someone who could turn a table around. Now that people knew whom to reach out to, Tara's workload only increased. During the daily morning meeting, she discussed open tasks.

Ben yelled, "Who told you to take up those tasks?"

Tara trembled, "I received tasks via mail... I thought..."

Ben fumed, "You will not work on tasks!"

Tara tried, "But, Ben... this mail is from the Senior Manager & next issue from the Director."

Ben drew a sharp breath & questioned, "Who do you work for?"

Tara swallowed hard & replied with trepidation, "You."

Ben continued, "Then you will do as I say. You will not work on such tasks."

Tara's colour-drained face said it all.

Ben said, "Say no!"

Tara whispered, "I can't say 'No'."

Ben pressed, "If you are going to work with me, you have to learn to say 'No' to people. If anyone presses, ask them to talk to me. You may leave now."

Tara couldn't believe her ears; her feet felt like lead & stood still like stone. She was tense & pushed her specs on the bridge of her nose.

Ben suggested, "You do not have to be rude like me. You can politely say 'No'."

Tara walked out of Ben's cabin, confused. She reached out to her manager & recounted the whole conversation.

Manager coolly replied, "Now, Ben is your boss, do as he says."

Tara was petrified & she could not come to terms with how she could say 'No'? Tara's brain was on fire, trying to figure out the best way to decline requests. Finally, Tara listed teams to re-route requests, tasks, and issues using a supportive process, policy & declined requests. As she began to decline requests, she noticed she wasn't stressed. She could breathe & her confidence went up a few levels. A few more months passed & Tara was sailing through difficult conversations, saying 'No' effortlessly.

Tara's work visa was to expire. After a lot of deliberation & discussion with family & manager, she decided to travel back home. On her last day of work, she walked to Ben's cabin.

Ben stood up from his seat & said, "I heard you are leaving us."

Tara replied, "Yes, my visa is expiring."

She presented him with a gift-wrapped box, "Thank you for teaching me to say 'No'."

He accepted the gift & enquired, "Will you come back?"

She grinned, "I'm honoured that you asked. May I politely say 'No'?"

He chuckled, "Of course, yes."

Takeaway: 'No' may be hard to say, but it is the most powerful word, a complete sentence & a statement.