The Tyranny Of ‘Yes’
by Miki Saxon
I was venting my frustration today regarding people who say they will do something and then don’t—it makes me totally crazy and very cranky.
My reaction isn’t unusual; in fact it’s pretty common.
But in a work environment saying yes, but not doing yes is more than an annoyance, especially when the inaction blocks progress on a project.
For example, there’s a part of the SAAS application we have in development that contains a radically different approach to help; it has the potential to be a stand-alone product that could be added to any web or computer based program during development. It’s simple, intuitive, easy to use and the people who have tried it love it.
I have several close connections who have the knowledge and background to say whether it would fly in the market. All were interested and said they would be delighted to look at it—but after more than a month none have followed through.
Empty yeses are a form of tyranny; a passive, often unconscious, exercise of power in which the person who says yes is unaware of the repercussions, doesn’t think them through or, in some cases, doesn’t care.
In most cases giving an empty yes leads to frustration and stress for those on the receiving end.
But at its worst, it creates enormous stresses that hurt the team; wreak havoc on marketing, wreck project schedules, blow product launches and demolish revenue streams.
Whenever I’m coaching and discuss this with people they tell me that they ‘meant to do it’ or ‘didn’t want to say no and hurt someones feelings by saying no’.
Knowing all this should tell you that learning to say ‘no’ is one of the most important life skills you need to master.
I’ve written previously about learning to say no as well as handling the backlash and guilt that can come from saying it.
Read the posts and if you want additional help feel free to call me at 866.265.7267 or email miki@rampupsolutions.com; to avoid filters please use ‘learn to say no’ in the subject line.
Image credit: sxc.hu
