Edward D. Miller is a newsroom leadership coach and management consultant to newspapers around the world. He is a former director of ASNE and a founder of the Society for News Design. Reach him at miller@newsroomleadership.com.

HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT SAYING “NO"? For many, it's surprisingly difficult. This is especially true of editors, who by nature tend to be eager and engaged participants in everything they do. Consider these scenarios:

It's late in the day. That front-page package you've been working on is nearly complete; one last edit and it's finished. Enter the executive editor, who makes a suggestion requiring a more-than-modest rearrangement of the design and the addition of an info box. You want to scream: “No! It's done!” What do you do?

The first rule of saying no to the boss is don't say no. She probably has something in mind when she makes suggestions, and it's up to you to find out what. The second rule is don't raise the stakes by challenging her authority. That issue is already decided. The third rule is to be ready to cite options and consequences. The boss's suggestions might be appropriate, but there are always consequences. She might not know about the pages backing up that need attention, or about the designer who had to go home sick. Tell her she can have what she wants, but explain the trade-offs. Understand what she's trying to accomplish and propose a Plan B that will make it happen without destroying what you've done so far.

Here's another case. Your least-favorite reporter suggests a dumb story idea. This one should be easy, but it's not. If you say no, even politely, you risk inhibiting further ideas, not just from that reporter, but from others who heard that you turned down the idea. This scenario is common in newsrooms that lack a systematic way to filter story suggestions.

Two steps are necessary. First, you need a system for how stories are proposed and reviewed. Reporters can tolerate rejection of their ideas if they believe they were given a fair hearing. Your gut reaction and dismissive rejection, even of a worthless idea, might not qualify as systematic or fair.

Second, the people you work with need to negotiate a “What if ... ?” agreement covering “What if my idea is turned down?” How are people expected to react? Is there an appeal process? Can they refine the idea and resubmit it? By anticipating “What if ... ?” situations before they happen, you can reach understandings that will help ease you out of confrontations.

One more case: Your life as metro editor is tough enough. Now the business editor makes an appeal to borrow two of your best reporters for a local business story. He brought the idea to you first, but you know the managing editor is his next stop. What do you do?

No editor has resources to match ambitions. But before you say no to the request, you must contend with two realities. Short-term, the business editor's idea may deserve support. Long-term, the shoe may be on the other foot someday. A tactical compromise would be advantageous for both of you, so find the Plan B that gets the business story done with minimum disruption to metro. And be sure the managing editor knows how you both worked it out. Senior editors like to hear how problems have been resolved.

Here are some guidelines to saying no:

1. Anticipate. An accepted process for suggesting and considering story ideas prepares you to deal with those infrequent but inevitable turkeys. Similarly, conversations with the boss about when and how she can best help your decision making during the day will help avoid awkward and disruptive interventions.

2. Compromise. Here's the magic in compromise: When people learn that you are willing to listen to their ideas and suggestions and adjust your own thinking to accommodate their objectives, they will be more willing to do the same for you. If you're a tough nut who says no all the time, you can expect the same in return.

3. Plan. Always have a Plan B. When people get stuck on a single way of doing something, they are hard to redirect. Learn how to come up with alternatives and options. You can be certain about the objectives for a project and still be flexible about how to reach them.

4. Pace yourself. Newsrooms are filled with ambitious overachievers who believe taking on added burdens is preferable to appearing uncooperative or inefficient. But self-management means knowing your own limitations and then negotiating with people who don't recognize or care much about those boundaries. Sometimes saying no is the only smart move. *