Are you stuck in movie logic?

This article should be included in every Professional Development program. This is excellent advice.

I live in an area of the midwest United States where nearly _everybody_ is kind, but severely conflict averse... To the point where it becomes difficult to gauge true intentions. Lack of clarity on everybody's priorities make work far more difficult than it needs to be because everyone here are people pleasers who don't know how to say "no" or "I don't like that".

I tell my managers "no". I tell them why: this process doesn't scale with the team, the security policy forbids it, this is the fifth project you've given top priority to this week, etc.

They say, don't worry, just do it. I'm at a point where saying no doesn't matter, so I have to consider if I should even bother.