Yes Is Not Always the Answer

Is it hard for you to say no? Are you a YES man or woman? Well if you are, it can really affect your business. Doing more and more, until the point where you get burned out or pushing your employees to do the same is not productive and can actually start to harm the quality of work produced. Not only will you suffer, your staff will suffer and ultimately your business will suffer. 

When looking for employees, you don’t want someone that just says yes to whatever you say or want. You need a critical thinker, someone that will question things that may not be right or could be improved upon. Or maybe they are able to bring you an idea that will create a smoother path to your goal; but if they are so busy trying to please “the boss” they lose focus on making sure the end outcome is as efficient and successful as possible. It will end up showing  in their work productivity.

I am always looking for team members and partners that will challenge me. I want them to tell me their ideas, their concerns, as well as be able to not only point out problems they see in the present or future but also speak on them. If they are feeling overwhelmed or have too much on their plate, they need to be able to communicate this to me. We have an open door policy in our collective and it really makes the quality of work excel beyond measure.

Sometimes it is okay to say “NO” and sometimes it will save your business from making some serious mistakes. Being a yes man never benefits anyone if that yes is lined with resentment, problems, or a better solution that will never be expressed. 

So take time to remember to lead with innovation, truth and the ability to not only say yes but to also say no. Your team will see you lead by example and take heed to the type of qualities you are looking for. Engage them and seek their opinions because it takes a village to build anything worth keeping.

Sources: Kriegel, Robert J., and Louis Patler.  If It Ain’t Broke– Break It!: And Other Unconventional Wisdom for a Changing Business World. New York: Warner, 1991. Print.