Saying “Yes” to “No”

Whether it’s an internal business decision or a request from a client, the word ‘No’ should be AS respected (if not MORE respected) than the word ‘Yes.’ The problem with ‘No’ is it’s seen as a rejection. It can be easier to just give people what they’re asking for than to disappoint them with a ‘No.’ 

 But ‘No’ can be more productive than ‘Yes’ if you’re open-minded in your thinking and transparent about how you got to your decision. It takes courage, but more than that—it takes clarity. When I am deciding whether to say yes or no, here’s my decision tree when making an internal company decision or weighing client requests or whether to work with a specific prospect:

• First, I assess whether the request aligns with our greater strategic three-year vision  
• Second, I ask whether it at least aligns with our shorter-term priorities over the next year
• Third, I ask if this will enhance our client and/or employee experience? 
• Last, I’m fully aware some things are just the cost of doing business, even if they don’t match up with 1-3. 

Then, I drill down to look for the high-payoff activity. What’s the cost of the effort vs. the impact? Naturally, some of the highest impact initiatives may require the most effort in terms of time and money. But every once in a while there’s an endeavor that gives you a disproportionate bang for your buck. 

I see my job as CEO, above all else, as the Chief Reminder Officer and setting the pace of change in performance marketing, arguably one of the world’s fastest-moving industries. So, where it gets really interesting is when someone on my leadership team, for example, is asking for budget & resources to innovate or push the needle. If I say, No, they may think I don’t like their idea. But maybe I do like the idea, but not for right now. It might just be that we need to double down on things we’ve already committed to rather than start something new. 

It's referred to as “Shiny Coin Syndrome.” Sometimes that coin is so shiny, we want to pick it up off the floor. But in that time you spent stopping and stooping, you could have put your time and attention on another (less blingy) endeavor with higher payoff and impact. 

Saying yes to no is all about setting the pace of change. If you say yes to everything, even if they’re all good ideas, it’s not all going to work because there’s too much going on and everyone will be spread too thin. 

So, sometimes it’s my job to say, No, now is the time to stay focused on the most important and urgent projects. We can come back and pick up that shiny coin later.