Nicole and I spent a few days in Napa last week for a mini-vacation.
Around 6:30pm each evening, housekeeping would knock on our door to offer turndown service.
And each time, we’d ask if they could come back at 7:30 after we’d left for dinner.
The first two nights the housekeeper was very sweet and accommodating.
We’d come back from dinner with our room tidied up, the sheets pulled down and a little gourmet chocolate on our pillows.
On the third night, it was the same interaction, but with a different housekeeper.
*Knock knock*
“Would you like turndown service?”
“Oh, thank you. We definitely would, but could you come back at 7:30?”
Without even blinking, she assertively (but politely) responded:
“No. Would you like some candy?”
And reached into her pocket to offer me the pillow chocolates.
I chuckled to myself as I took the candy and closed the door.
“That was awesome,” I said out loud to myself.
What struck me was how it made me feel.
I wasn’t upset. I didn’t feel slighted. I wasn’t resentful.
I assumed it was after her shift ended and “no” was a perfectly justifiable and acceptable response.
It reinforced the lesson I learned when I scaled back my availability.
I used to offer to meet with people from 6:30am to 9pm Monday through Saturday. It was backbreaking.
I was concerned when I alerted our members to my new availability which is regular business hours of 9am to 6pm Monday through Friday.
What I found was people’s reactions were the same as my “turndown turn down”
Reasonable boundaries will be unquestionably accepted.
So don’t apologize or feel bad for saying “no”.
Chances are the other person won’t think twice about it. (ESPECIALLY if they still get their pillow chocolates.)
