The Time We Ditched 'No' to Unleashed Our Team's True Power

I was still in my first few months at this startup--playing lead detective to figure out: what's what?

That's when I heard the first NO...

Enter Brian, our go-to expert. One day, a customer needed help with regulatory consulting. We go to Brian. His response? "No, we can't help with that." It sat in the pit of my stomach like 7-day-old Chinese food. ??

It was so final. Something was missing. No one could answer me: "why not?"

So I channeled my inner 5-year-old and I obsessed over "why" until, finally, Brian confessed: "We tried once, and screwed it up. It cost customer, and the company, BIG TIME."

Ah, yes. Fear-based decisions - the silent killer of innovation and customer value.

Fear-based decisions are typically a result of past experiences. I never did find out what happened to Brian after that screw up--but it was enough for him to never try again.

Just how kids learn not to touch a hot stove a second time (flashback to my own childhood past), adults are no different. Once you get burned, you won't do it again. ??

Unveiling the 'No No's'

Fast forward a few weeks. I had heard a few more examples of "no." They were all rooted in:

• Fear of failing (again)
• Fear of doing something new

In both cases, the solution required a safe space for not failing. Like a mama bird bird ?? kicking baby birds out of the nest, the team needed a gentle kick in the pants. ?? ??

As the newly appointed leader to the Pro Services org, I decided to reveal my strategy at our upcoming PS Team Kickoff.

After a few rounds of camaraderie to learn fun facts about each other, it was finally time for the goals slide.

There it was, in plain English.

It simply read:

The scene was straight out of a bad Judge Judy episode - confused skeptical faces, and raised eyebrows. A pause and silence from others. Someone even asked if this was a new Zen mantra as a tease. ??

But the plan was simple:

1. Say yes to new work
2. If you're about to say no, just check in with me first.

That was it.

From SMART to Heart

The team's skepticism was thicker than a Dan Brown novel plot in a bowl of oatmeal.

They asked for ways to measure this new team-wide goal. But I just leaned on trust, self-accountability, and a little C.F.S. (common effin' sense) instead of the tried-and-true S.M.A.R.T. method.

And look, I was once a S.M.A.R.T. goals guy--or rather, I still am.

But my instinct told me we needed an unconventional method to challenge this unconventional issue.

I went on, "If anything doesn't work out, it's fully on me." to create a safety net for the team to leap without fear of repercussions. And I meant it. I was ready to get thrown under the bus for anything.

Weeks went by... We revisited the goal slide often during team all-hand meetings to skepticism. ??

But then, as we began to share success stories we began to see a glimmer of light--like prisoners breaking out of jail with a rusty spoon.

The glimmer came in the form of taking on and delivering some major first-ever projects.

That's when the tide turned.

It was just like Roger Bannister setting the record for the 4-minute mile, with his belief that it could be done.

Once we had evidence that we could do this, a number of wins followed.

• At first, the team crafted an integration for a new platform
• Then, they engineered a custom UI for another client
• After that, expert consulting services

You know how in the first few levels of any RPG, the XP comes quickly? Our new found abilities immediately made us OP--#IYKYK.

The biggest surprise?

We posted the strongest quarter for PS revenue and took on the largest PS deals in company history. ??

But my favorite metric was the confidence radiating from the team as we celebrated the success--even on company all-hands meetings.

The team had a whole new swagger.

A Balanced Approach

Now, look. I'm not saying you should turn your team into an army of 'Yes Men' like a throw back to the 2008 Jim Carrey movie.

It's about knowing which tool is right for the job.

I also believe that each 'yes' means infinite 'no's' to other things.

It's a delicate dance. Like carefully leaning out an air-fuel mixture, getting your team to #donew is a dichotomy to balance more than it is an absolute strategy.

A Friendly Mama Bird ?? Nudge to Fellow Pro Services Leaders...

If you're leading a team and feel like you're playing it too safe, maybe it's time to flip the script and introduce a Counter-No strategy.

Who knows?

You might be amazed at the results you see too.

And hey, if you're curious about more ways to unlock your team's potential, check out our ideas over at: ?? www.unlocktheroi.com??

Thank you for reading!

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