day 610: The Meaning of Yes and No

“You may be asking why I changed my plan. Hadn’t I made up my mind yet? Or am I like people of the world who say yes when they really mean no?”

It can sound like a harsh question, but it is effective; “What part of no don’t you understand?” While none of us like to be told no, the best leaders know how to say no as well as they do yes. In fact, for these leaders, the word no is an absolute and others around them can count on them to be focused on getting rid of the extraneous and keeping alive only the important and critical. The single-minded approach to those things that matter and rejecting the rest is a real skill. I think highly of leaders who are comfortable with the word no. What I have also recognized is that these leaders carry with them a level of respect and experience that those who are being said no to don’t whine or cry, because they know that there was thought and fairness that comes with the answer. I worked with a CEO who was like that and how I wish every CEO had the same trait.

We are so much better off truly saying no versus allowing others to think that we meant yes, or that we come back later after precious time and effort has been put into a project and change our minds to no. Let us understand that the word no can carry with it a level of caring, respect and deliberate thought that others would far prefer. It is better to be leveled with and just have no said. When we earn that credibility with those that we work with, it gives us even greater opportunity and impact to hold up an example that they would like to follow and know more about. This is all part of us bringing God to work with us and being the role model that He wants us to be.

Reference: 2 Corinthians 1:17 (New Living Testament)