Ask for no, don’t ask for yes
Ask for no, don’t ask for yes
要求“不”，不要要求“是”
I think it is important to have a bias for action. Like anything else, this is something you can make a habit of. Moving forward allows you to make progress. I don’t know about you, but I’ve frozen up in the past not knowing what the right path was for me. Moving forward, even the smallest possible step, helped break that stasis.
我认为，行动是很重要的。和其他任何事情一样，这也是一种可以养成习惯的事情。向前迈进可以让你取得进步。我不知道你的情况，但我过去也曾因为不知道哪条路适合我而停滞不前。向前迈进，哪怕是最小的一步，都有助于打破这种停滞状态。
One habit I like is to ask for no, not yes. Note that this is based on my experience at small companies (< 200 employees) where a lot of my experience has been. I’m not sure how it’d work in a big company, non-profit, or government.
我喜欢的一个习惯是要求对方回答“不”，而不是“是”。请注意，这是基于我在小公司（约 200 名员工）的经验，我的大部分经验都来自这些公司。我不确定在大公司、非营利组织或政府中，这种方法会如何运作。
When you have something you want to do and that you feel is in scope for your position, but you want a bit of reassurance or to let the boss know what you are up to, it’s common to reach out and ask them for permission. Don’t. Don’t ask for a yes. Instead, offer a chance to say no, but with a deadline.
当你想做某件事，而且你觉得这在你的职位范围内，但你想得到一点安慰，或者让老板知道你在做什么时，通常会主动联系他们并征求他们的同意。不要这样做。不要要求他们答应。相反，要给他们一个说不的机会，但要设定一个期限。
Let’s see how this works.
让我们看看它是如何工作的。
Suppose I want to set up a new GitHub action that I feel will really improve the quality of our software. This isn’t whimsy, I’ve done some research and tested it locally. I may have even asked a former colleague how they used this GitHub action.
假设我想设置一个新的 GitHub 操作，我认为这将真正提高我们软件的质量。这不是异想天开，我已经做了一些研究并在本地进行了测试。我甚至可能问过一位前同事他们如何使用这个 GitHub 操作。
But I’m not quite sure. I want to let my boss know that I’ll be modifying the repository.
但我不太确定。我想让我的老板知道我将修改存储库。
I could say “hey, boss, can we install action X? It’ll help with the XYZ problems we’ve been having.”
我可以说“嘿，老板，我们可以安装动作 X 吗？它将帮助我们解决一直遇到的 XYZ 问题。”
If you have a busy boss (and most people do), this is going to require a bit of work on their part to say “yes”.
如果你的老板很忙（大多数人都是这样的），那么他们就需要付出一些努力才能答应你的要求。
They’ll want to review the XYZ problem, think about how X will solve it and maybe do some thinking or prioritization about how this fits in with other work. Or maybe they’ll want you to share what you know. It may fall off their plate. You will probably have to remind them a few times to get around to saying “yes”. It might be a more pressing issue for you
他们会想要回顾 XYZ 问题，思考 X 将如何解决它，并可能考虑或优先考虑如何将其与其他工作结合起来。或者他们可能希望你分享你所知道的东西。这可能不是他们的任务。你可能需要提醒他们几次才能说“是”。这对你来说可能是一个更紧迫的问题
Now, let’s take the alternative approach.”Hey, boss, I am going to install action X, which should solve the XYZ problems we’ve been having. Will take care of this on Monday unless I hear differently from you.”
现在，让我们采取另一种方法。”嘿，老板，我要安装操作 X，这应该可以解决我们一直遇到的 XYZ 问题。除非我收到您的不同意见，否则我将在周一处理此事。”
Do you see the change in tone?
你看到语气的变化了吗？
You are saying (without being explicit) that you “got it” and are going to handle this issue. The boss can still weigh in if they want to, but they don’t have to. If they forget about it or other issues pop up, you still proceed. This lets you keep moving forward and solving problems while keeping the boss informed and allowing them to add their two cents if it is important enough.
你在说（没有明确说明）你“明白了”并会处理这个问题。如果老板愿意，他们仍然可以参与进来，但他们不必这么做。如果他们忘记了这件事或出现了其他问题，你仍然可以继续。这让你可以继续前进并解决问题，同时让老板了解情况，并允许他们在事情足够重要的情况下发表意见。
You can also use this approach with a group of people.
您还可以对一群人使用此方法。
By the way, the deadline is critical too. Which would you respond to more quickly, if it was Jan 15, all other things being equal and assuming a response was needed?
顺便说一句，截止日期也很重要。如果截止日期是 1 月 15 日，在其他条件相同且假设需要回复的情况下，您会更快地回复哪件事？
“I’m going to do task X.”
“我要做X任务。”
“I’m going to do task X on Jan 17.”
“我将于 1 月 17 日完成 X 任务。”
“I’m going to do task X on Feb 15.”
“我将在 2 月 15 日完成 X 任务。”
I would respond to the second one, which has a deadline in the near future. I think that is the way most folks work.
我会回答第二个问题，因为它的截止日期就在不久的将来。我想大多数人都是这样工作的。
Again, pursue this approach for problems you feel are in the scope of your role but that you want to inform the boss about. It’s great when you want to offer a chance for feedback, but you are confident enough in the course of action that you don’t need feedback.
同样，如果你觉得问题属于你的职责范围，但你又想向老板汇报，那么可以采用这种方法。如果你想提供反馈的机会，但你对行动过程有足够的信心，不需要反馈，那么这种方法很好。