behavior analyst.”
probation period without cause. About 6 months later, the facility closed after an investigation pertaining to their billing practices and data falsification. Being assertive on the front end of your employment, even during the interview phase, can save you from finding yourself in a job that was not what you bargained for or, worse yet, beginning your new career by getting fired.
hOw tO saY “nO”
Paul Simon’s classic song describes “50 ways to leave your lover.”
Although we won’t list here all the ways to say “no,” we think there are probably at least 50 good ways to say it.
When we suggest that you say “no,” of course we don’t mean you should literally say “no” and nothing else: “Will you help me with this program for a client?” “No.” “We are having a staff meeting—
can you present Jason’s data?” “No.” “Our department is going to have a picnic next month. Can you attend?” “No.” Blunt, cryptic responses such as these will have us sending you a greeting card in the mail that says, “It was really nice having you in the field of behavior analysis, until you were fired from your first job.”
Please Explain Yourself
Sometimes to say “no” you’ll want to include an explanation.
For example, when someone invites you to a work-related social event, you can decline the invitation politely. This “no” includes an explanation such as, “Thank you so much for inviting me, but I will be out of town that weekend.” Or “Thank you so much for inviting me, but I have young children, and I really like to stay home on the weekends.”
If you are asked by someone to do something you simply don’t have time to do, it is perfectly acceptable to let the person know you are busy: “I’d love to do training for your staff, but I am fully com-mitted with three major projects for the next several months.”
If you are good at what you do, people will begin to count on you as someone who can get the job done. Then you may find
yourself getting requests to work on projects that are not within your skill set. One way to turn down a request for services you are not trained to provide is to say, “Thanks, John, I really appreciate your support, but I don’t think I am the best person to lead this particular project. I really don’t have any experience working with adult offenders.”
Educating Others
There are times when “no” needs to be accompanied by some words that will educate people: As a response to someone on a treatment team saying, “We should use cigarettes and ice cream as the reinforcers for Bob’s behavior program because he likes them so much,” a behavior analyst might reply, “As much as Bob likes smoking and eating junk food, when used frequently, these are in the category of reinforcers that are harmful, and I don’t think this is a good idea.”
A much stronger version of “no” is appropriate in situations such as the following: “The review team is coming, and we really don’t have all the data we need. I’m sure you can generally remem-ber how the clients did over the past few weeks. Can you fill in these data sheets so we don’t get cited?” This “no” should be loud and clear. The function of this “no” is to make other people aware that you will not participate in unethical or inappropriate conduct:
“No, I cannot do that. It is unethical and probably illegal. I am bound by the Guidelines for Responsible Conduct for my field.”
As a treatment team member, you will find many times when you have to say “no” to a roomful of professionals: “With all due respect to Janice, I believe her suggestion that sensory stimula-tion should be the major focus of treatment is not the way we want to go. There is no data to support this approach as a means of reducing maladaptive behaviors. The first logical step here is to conduct a functional analysis.” This is the “no” you will use to advocate the use of sound behavioral procedures that are based on science.
How About This Instead?
When you find yourself in the position of having to say “no,”
sometimes a good strategy is to offer an alternative: “I’m not in a position to take on another school for consulting right now, but I know a very good behavior analyst who might be able to help you.” This makes it clear you do want to help even though you are not able to provide the services yourself. If time and current com-mitments are the issue, you might say, “I am so busy right now, there is no way I can help you with that. My time should free up at the end of the month—if you can call me then, I will be happy to help you.”
Saying “No” Is Hard to Do
Remember some of the answers you got when you were a child and asked to do something? “Can we go and get ice cream?”
“Maybe later.” “Can we go to the lake on Saturday and go swim-ming?” “We’ll see.” “Can we get a dog?” “When we aren’t so busy.” These were all answers given by someone who wanted to be nice and didn’t want to come out and say “no.” You’ll prob-ably hear some of these very answers in the settings where you are providing behavioral services. Behavior analysts should have integrity. Make sure when you say “no” that you’re always honest and direct.
asK FOr what YOu want
Another major aspect to assertiveness is asking for what you want.
If you don’t ask, you probably won’t get what you need or want, because whoever is making the decisions can’t read your mind and doesn’t know what is important to you. Requests such as ask-ing for an occasional day off or a chance to go to an annual state or national behavioral conference might be granted, especially if you are highly valued for your creative ideas and you make your requests well in advance.
hOw am I dOIng?
Another form of assertiveness is asking for frequent feedback on how you are doing. Although this might seem like fishing for reinforcers or asking for trou-ble, regular feedback can help you improve your own
perfor-mance. Far too often, it is company policy that you will receive an annual performance review. As behaviorists, we know that receiving feedback at the end of a year for something you did 11 months ago is much too delayed to have any effect. Don’t be a pest, but asking for feedback at least quarterly is a form of assertiveness that will pay off in the long run. If your supervisor does not want to take the time to put the feedback in writing, you can summarize your meeting and send the notes in an e-mail to your supervisor so there will be a paper trail. By requesting frequent feedback, you can show your supervisors that you have a strong desire to be an excellent employee. This will put you in good stead when you have to occasionally say “no” to a request.
summarY
Assertiveness is a key skill for behavior analysts who want to be highly effective advocates for their clients and behavioral services.
For behavior analysts working in every type of behavioral setting, knowing when and how to be assertive on behalf of clients and themselves and in meetings is a day-to-day skill. Being able to say
“no” in a nice but firm way, asking for what you want and need, and requesting routine feedback are additional assertiveness skills that will lead to success.
The behavior analyst who has well-developed, appropriate assertiveness skills will be a person who can truly make a differ-ence on a treatment team and in the life of a client.