In speaking with hundreds of executives and senior leaders over the past twenty years, certain phrases consistently come up as career-limiting phrases that jeopardize
one’s professional image and potential for promotion. To the speaker they may seem like harmless words, however, to the listener they reveal a more critical issue: In a workplace where employers must be cutting-edge, competitive, and cost-effective, employees who use these phrases will likely be replaced with those who convey a more positive attitude, collaborative spirit, proactive behavior and professional demeanor. Here are 13 phrases that should be banned from the office:通過過去二十年來和諸多高管及領導的交流，我發現有些話在職場中比較禁忌，可能會毀掉一個人的職業形象甚或升職機會。說者可能無意，但聽者卻會看到更為本質的問題：身處職場，員工必須走在前沿、具有競爭力并能節約成本，說話不當的員工很可能被態度積極、團結協作、主動采取行動并且專業有素的員工所取代。以下13句話就絕不能在辦公室講：
1. “It’s not fair。”1. “這不公平。”
She got a raise, you didn’t. He was recognized, you weren’t. Some people have food to eat while others starves. Injustices happen on the job and in the world every day. Whether it’s a troubling issue at work or a serious problem for the planet, the point in avoiding this phrase is to be proactive about the issues versus complaining, or worse, passively whining. Instead, document the facts, build a case, and present an intelligent argument to the person or group who can help you。她加薪了，你卻沒有；他受器重了，而你沒有。有人溫飽就有人挨餓，世界上不公平隨處可見，職場也一樣。不論是工作碰上麻煩還是地球遇到災難，要避免不公平，就得積極解決問題，而不是抱怨或者消極發牢騷。相反，你應該實事求是地、向能夠提供幫助的人或組織有理有據地來表達意見。
2. “That’s not my problem,” “That’s not my job,” or “I don’t get paid enough for this。”2. “那不是我的問題”，“那不是我的工作”或“這不是我的分內之事”。
If you asked someone for help, and the person replied with one of the above phrases, how would you feel? As importantly, what would it say about him or her? Regardless of how inconvenient or inappropriate a request may be, it is likely important to the other person or they would not have asked. Therefore, as a contributing member of the team, a top priority is to care about the success of others (or at least act as though you do). An unconcerned, detached and self-serving attitude quickly limits career advancement。如果你請某人幫忙，卻得到上面這樣的回答，你會怎么想？重要的是，說出這種話的人又能怎樣呢？不管請求多么不方便或不恰當，如果不那么重要，別人也就不必開口求助了。所以，作為團隊成員，首先應將他人的成功放第一位(或至少表示一下自己的心意)。冷漠離群、以自我為中心的態度很快便會斷送職業發展。
This doesn’t mean you have to say yes; it does mean you need to be articulate
and thoughtful when saying no. For example, if your boss issues an unreasonable request, rather than saying, ‘you’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t get paid enough for this,’ instead say, ‘I’ll be glad to help. Given my current tasks of A, B, and C, which one of these shall I place on hold while I work on this new assignment?’ This clearly communicates teamwork and helpfulness, while reminding your boss of your current work load and the need to set realistic expectations。這并不是要你有求必應；只是告訴你三思之后再拒絕。例如，如果老板提出不合理的要求，不要說‘開什么玩笑，這根本就不是我的分內之事。’，而應回答‘沒問題啊，但我手上還有A、B、C等任務，哪個任務可以暫放一放，以便完成這項新任務呢？’這樣說不僅展現了團隊精神和樂于助人，還提醒了老板你手上還有活兒，要求不可太過分。
3. “I think…”3. “我認為……”
Which of these two statements sounds more authoritative?: “I think our company might be a good partner for you。” Or, “I believe…” “I know…” or “I am confident that our company will be a good partner for you。”下面哪句話聽上去更有力？：“我認為我們公司可能成為貴方的良好伙伴。”或“我相信/我知道/我確信我們公司將會成為貴方的良好伙伴。”
There is a slight difference in the wording, however the conviction
communicated to your customer is profound. You may have noticed, the first phrase contains two weak words, ‘think’ and ‘might.’ They risk making you sound unsure or insecure about the message. Conversely, the second sentence is assertive
and certain. To convey a command of content and passion for your subject, substitute the word ‘think’ with ‘believe’ and replace ‘might’ with ‘will.’只是用詞略有變動，但傳達給客戶的信心卻很不一樣。你們應該注意到，第一句話中的‘認為’和‘可能’語氣較弱，使信息聽上去不那么確鑿肯定。相反，第二句話則確信肯定多了。為表達你講話內容的堅定和激情，應將‘認為’和‘可能’換成‘相信’和‘將要’。
4. “No problem。”4. “沒問題。”
When someone thanks you, the courteous and polite reply is, “You’re welcome。”當有人向你表示感謝時，禮貌的回答是“不客氣”。
The meaning implies that it was a pleasure for you to help the person, and that you receive their appreciation. Though the casual laid-back phrase, ‘no problem’ may intend to communicate this, it falls short. It actually negates the person’s appreciation and implies the situation could have been a problem under other circumstances. In business and social situations, if you want to be perceived as well-mannered and considerate, respond to thank you’ s with, “You’re welcome。”不客氣表示你很樂意提供幫助，并且接受對方的感謝。雖然隨意一點說‘沒問題’也有同樣的功能，但意思卻遠遠不足，不僅忽略了對方的感激之情，而且還暗指這個忙在別的情況下可能是個‘問題’。在職場及社會上，如果你想表現得體貼有教養，還是用“不客氣”來回答別人的感謝吧。
5. “I’ll try。”5. “我試試看。”
Imagine it’s April 15th and you ask a friend to mail your tax returns before 5pm on his way to the post office. If he replies, ‘Okay, I’ll try,’ you’ll likely feel the need to mail them yourself. Why? Because that phrase implies the possibility of failure。假設4月15號那天，你請朋友在下午5點之前順路去郵局替你寄申報單，朋友回答說‘好啊，我試試看吧。’，你是不是覺得不放心，還是親自去寄的好呢？為什么會這樣？因為“試試看”表示事情也有可能做不好。
In your speech, especially with senior leaders, replace the word ‘try’ with the word and intention of ‘will.’ This seemingly small change speaks volumes。“在你講話的時候，尤其是面對上級領導，請把‘試試看’換成‘會去做’。改變雖小，意義卻很重大。
