Do You Know When to Say No?

By David Paul Carter
NO. A simple word, but hard to say and act upon. Yet it is a key to our focus and ultimately to our success. Steve Jobs advised his many followers “Say no to a thousand things.” What are you saying “no” to?

• No, we don’t take clients like that.
• No, that’s not part of what we offer.
• No, that market is too hard for us to service properly.
• No, I won’t bend on this principle.
• No, I’m sorry, I won’t be able to have lunch with you.
• No, that’s not good enough. Will you please do it again?
• No, I’m not willing to lose my focus, and no, I’m not willing to compromise.

Are you saying NO many, many more times than you are saying yes? Here is how.

As leaders, we are facing an ever-increasing list of actions we want to take to move our companies forward – especially as we are experiencing different kinds of recovery in our economy. We don’t want to miss the boat, but we all often become drunk with possibilities!

We all must decide what our top (3-5 max) priorities are for any given time frame. Like genocide, homicide and suicide, DECIDE is about death (“cide). To DECIDE is to kill off alternatives leaving one option alive. And groups don’t make decisions. Real decision-making comes down to one person. You!

Every company I have worked with has developed their own methods for determining priorities. The problem is that most are not disciplined enough to limit their number of priorities. “Too many” generally equals “not accomplished.”

1. Have you decided, chosen and ranked 3-5 priorities for the quarter (or year)?

2. Do you know what your top 1 priority is out of the 3-5?

3. Do all your staff know these priorities, and can they report on their productivity compared to these priorities?

Answering “Yes” to those questions drives alignment within your company. And as Jim Collins states, “Your success is 1% vision and 99% alignment.” So, don’t be drunk with possibilities. Sober up!

Say NO to a thousand things and DECIDE your priorities wisely. Your success is the sum total of all your decisions.
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Copyright 2013 David Paul Carter LLC.   All rights reserved.