Courage to Say No

I have heard a lot of talk at work that “We are trying to do way too much work.” Some thoughts inspired by a recent blog from Seth Godin, “Getting to no”, and the thought that “yes is magical”.

The company still has a startup mindset and that anything is possible because we are “innovators”. We have tried various methods to focus our “yeses” with marginal success.

So, perhaps more important then, is to learn how to say “no”. Seth Godin’s thoughts on qualities of a generous “no”:

  • We say it to someone we care about.
  • We offer insight.
  • Tell them the truth.
  • Celebrate what we can do.

Why would anyone do otherwise?