Saying Yes is Killing Your Leadership Reputation

Picture this. It’s nearly the end of the day on a Friday, and all that stands between you and your weekend is an employee who wants to just “pick your brain.” A number of competing thoughts might immediately rush into your mind. You don’t want to discourage your employee from coming to you with ideas or questions in the future. You also don’t want to add more to your plate or burn yourself out. It might seem like you are being forced to make the seemingly impossible choice between being the “bad guy” or the “yes man.” The truth is, the choice is easier to make than you might think. Fear often stops leaders from saying no when they need to, and when you don’t say no when you should, you make it harder to be the best leader you can be. Read on to learn why learning to say no can be the best tool in your arsenal as a leader.

It’s Often Easier to Say Yes...

It probably won’t come as a surprise to you that it is much easier to say yes than it is to say no. In every workplace, there is pressure to be well-liked, be a team player, and make others happy. Many people have a tendency to people-please and say yes without stopping to think it through. You might also worry that if you say no, clients and other people within your organization will think that you are failing or are saying no because you don’t know how to do your job. This couldn’t be further from the truth because if you say yes to everything, including things that are not in the best interest of you, your team, or your organization, you saddle yourself with tasks and responsibilities that do not serve a larger purpose. The last thing you should want is to end up in a situation where you are stressed, stretched too thin, and regretting saying yes because it was easy at the time.

...But a Leader Knows When to Say No

The best leaders know that saying “no” is sometimes the right thing to do. Saying yes too frequently and to the wrong things can actually degrade your reputation and standing in your organization and with the clients who depend on you. It is a great leader’s responsibility to step up and make difficult decisions to protect themselves, their staff, and their organization and lead the team in the right direction. Part of doing this effectively is understanding when is the right time to say “no.” You will often be forced to say no to bad ideas that might hurt the profitability and reputation of your organization. Other times, you will be forced to say no to good ideas that stretch your team too thin and take up more bandwidth than you can offer. Being a good leader means recognizing the limitations of yourself and your team so that you are not forced into a position where you have to deviate from the operating plan and larger vision of your organization.

A Good Leader Also Knows How to Say No

Now that you recognize that sometimes saying “no” is the best thing you can do for yourself, your staff, and the organization, it is helpful to know how to say “no.” After all, a leader must make tough decisions, but a leader must also lead and inspire. When someone asks you to take on a new task, before saying no (or yes, for that matter), pause, think about it, and try to understand what they are asking and why. Whatever you choose, you will seem to have given the idea much greater consideration if you say “let me think about it” or “let me get back to you” before giving your answer. Whenever you are pitched an idea, try to really understand what you are being told or asked. Listen actively, ask good questions, and if you must say no, give a reason so that your employee, client, or anyone else you deal with understands that they are not being blown off but instead uniquely prioritized and respected. Be firm and clear, but balance this with some level of encouragement. Sometimes, the right idea is simply about the timing.

You Cannot Lead If You’re Burned Out

There are only so many hours in a day, and unfortunately, if you don’t try to strike some kind of balance between work and life, you will burn out. You cannot lead anyone if you are burned out. A way to fast-track burnout is to say yes to everything, even if it interferes with your time that should be spent recharging. If saying yes to everything in the short term leads you to make too many personal sacrifices, your ability to lead will be affected in the long term, decreasing your job satisfaction and increasing your job resentment. Say no to take time to focus on yourself and allow yourself the opportunity to take on each day feeling recharged.

It’s Sometimes Selfish to Say Yes

This might seem counterintuitive, but it is sometimes selfish to say yes. After all, wouldn’t it be better to give people what they want? Not always. The thing is, taking on too much or too much of the wrong thing will make you an ineffective leader. It can lead your higher-ups to question your judgment and decision-making abilities, which in turn reflects poorly on your staff and clients. Some ideas are bad, and it would be best to say no to avoid wasting money and resources and insulate the brand from harm. It will also increase your stress levels, making you feel on edge and even leading you to snap at people in your personal and professional life. Lastly, saying no can empower other employees to step up and say yes. Part of your responsibility as a leader is strategically delegating tasks, and a task that is wrong for you may be great for someone else. Not only that, if you change your mindset, you will recognize that delegating to others can make them feel valued, empowered, trusted, challenged, and supported. With so many good reasons to say no, if you are only saying yes to feel good about yourself, you are likely being selfish.

Say No to Stay On Track

As a leader, you must understand the organization’s vision to build an operational strategy that effectively organizes workflow and manages your team. Not knowing when to say no can completely derail this strategy. You must remember that every idea and task should serve the bigger picture, and without sticking to an operational strategy, it will be difficult to see how the smaller tasks fit into the big picture or give your stakeholders an honest and accurate assessment of the work you do for them. Saying no can help you and your team stay on track, maximizing your workflow and forecasting work progress. All the while, your reputation as a leader is forming, and taking on work in this way will build your executive presence. The first step in knowing when to say no is to build an effective operational strategy. Tune in next week to learn how to do just that and never say yes to failure again.