Easy to imagine in a ‘can do’ culture that saying “yes” is a good thing. Actually I find that learning to saying “no” will often make a greater contribution to making a remarkable organization. People say “yes” for several different reasons, and some of these contribute to the type of culture which gets us into trouble. Here are some examples:
“Yes” for Approval. When someone is trying to please the boss, or to be generally seen as a nice guy, they will say “yes” when asked to do things. Trouble is that they will often over commit, or not ask enough questions to really understand what they are being asked to sign up to. Then they run into difficulties further down the track, because they have said “yes” too often, and they can’t deliver. They work longer and longer hours, are not able to prioritize, and run around trying to appease the people they are letting down. Approval cultures seem nice on the surface, but they can be ineffective.
“Yes” for Avoidance. Sometimes “yes” is the answer which avoids conflict. Many people do find it hard to have difficult conversations, so they say “yes” even when they do not really agree to a decision, or a commitment, because it is an emotionally easier place to be. If Avoidance has become the norm throughout the culture, and everyone is avoiding conflict, then there is unlikely to be any later difficult conversations if the commitment or decision is not implemented. So conflict is avoided all the way down the line. Of course there are disastrous effects on the business outcomes.
“Yes” to be a Winner. Some people say “yes” to prove how good they are, and to win some competitive race against their peers. Because their competition decides to make a new move, they have to immediately ‘up’ it, to prove they are better. Saying “yes” to outrageous demands can be a sign of one-upmanship. A misplaced over-confidence which is not backed by thoughtfulness. Over optimistic revenue targets, for example, are followed by costs to match, and it all spirals from there.
Yes to Achieve. Finally, there is the “yes” that you are looking for. I call it the Achievement “yes”. This “yes” is based on rigor and analysis. The risk anticipation and mitigation process is on-going. There is a plan. The trade-offs with other commitments have been thought through. The interdependencies discussed. There is stretch, but it is not based on hope and magic. An Achievement culture encourages this type of “yes”. I cover this culture in more depth in Chapter 4 of my book.
Learn to say “no”, so that when you say “yes” it carries with it your honor. Your word is your bond.
