Learning to Say No Without Losing Relationships, Respect, or Resolve

By Mary Thengvall

Elevator Pitch

Cross-team collaboration is a necessary (and rewarding!) part of a successful DevOps team, but it’s important to know when to say no. Where’s the line between productive partnership and disruptive distraction? Mary Thengvall & Nathen Harvey talk about their journey of learning how to say no.

Description

Cross-team collaboration is a necessary (and rewarding!) part of a successful DevOps team, but it’s important to know when to say no. Where’s the line between productive partnership and disruptive distraction? Mary Thengvall & Nathen Harvey talk about their journey of learning how to say no.

In this talk, we’ll cover:

  • How you, as an IC, can make sure that you’re not taking on too much work.
  • How you, as a manager, can make sure the right boundaries are set up to protect your team from overwork.
  • How to successfully communicate what services your department does (and does not) provide.

We’ll include personal stories and anecdotes (aka what not to do) as well as tried and true tips from others who have learned to say no more successfully than we have (aka what to do).