Entrepreneurs and small business owners are usually optimists by nature. After all, they started or have built a company. But you might have the tendency in startups and smaller companies to say yes too often which can be a bad habit since it may result in wasted time, becoming over-committed, losing focus and getting burnt out. At the end, you might make poor decisions and the business might suffer due to lack of resources or simply a lack of focus.
Learning how to say ‘NO’ may be one of the hardest things to actually say. So, you need to practice it and also change your mindset. This change starts by understanding that NO is not a negative two-letter word. However, it is a way that helps you stay on the course and be more focused to leverage your limited resources. The best way to perhaps look at the positivity of NO is to share a quote from Steve Jobs from an Apple Conference in 1997.
‘People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.’ Steve Jobs
So, how do you learn to say no? The key first step is to evaluate what is being asked. If there simply is not enough information or the ask is ambiguous or ill-defined, then you can then ask for more details or insight. In this way you are engaging with the other person and sincerely want to learn more but you are not yet saying yes. Now, it is incumbent on the requestor to clarify the request. Based on getting more information, you can then make your decision.
Here is a simple yet effective way of evaluating requests in an escalation manner through the three levels of possible NO’s.This level might actually be the easiest one to understand for both parties. If the ask involves the violation of policies, regulations or even a law, then you simply give a straight no. Here is what you say, ‘I don’t have any discretion here. Your request violates our policies, the rules or even the law.
Boss - will you start working this month? I - Nooo!! Boss - fire you? I - Nooo!!