Page 54 - Roy W. Rice - CEO Material How to Be a Leader in Any Organization-McGraw-Hill (2009)

You Never Have To Rely on Your Technical Brilliance • 35

we did this. . .? What if we did that . . .? Can you tell me why . . .?” or
almost anything starting with who, why, how, or when.
Pleasant nagging is sometimes required.
Eventually, a storm of gnats will wear them down.

You might turn the “No” into a “You’ve been after me four times on
this issue. I don’t believe it, but go and do it. I may be wrong.”
Failing to challenge the “No” is not helping the boss, the team, or
the company. Agreeing with the boss is not helping him or her, nor is it
grooming you for a bigger job. People respect you more if you bargain
harder.
On the other hand, you need to be able to say “No.” Give “No” as
early as you can so that the other side knows that you’ll say it and you
give them time to decide their next step. Sometimes say “No” when
you’d usually say “Yes” just as a test of the person’s convictions. Just as
a good boss may say “No” to you to teach you to fight for your position,
a benefit of you saying “No” is letting your people learn to fight for
theirs too.
Don’t say “Yes” too fast. Slow down and weigh your response a little.
Don’t feel guilty. Don’t fall for flattery. When you say “Yes,” set boundaries
for who, what, when, why, and how you’ll do what you committed to.

Stand by your convictions. Say “No” even to your lifeblood. Don’t
stay on the fence.
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The problem with saying “Yes” is that two months later, you have to
deal with it. If you really know that your answer is “No,” you save a
lot of time on both sides if you just say it. Don’t delay for two weeks
just to make someone feel better.

When you say “No,” if possible, offer some suggestions, alternatives,
or substitutes: “No, I can’t meet you for lunch to talk about the project.
We can schedule a half-hour telephone call, though.”
Change your mind if you’ve mistakenly said “Yes.” Correct it. Admit
that you should have said “No” earlier. Don’t feel obligated to explain or
defend; you’ll only dig a hole for yourself and say more than you need or