YES MEN

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"O, brave man! In these situations, and to avoid evil from happening, asking forgiveness, it is appropriate that Seetha be given away to Rama."

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"All your ministers have abstained to pass this counsel to you. Whatever is seen or heard, it is to be told certainly by me."

Vibhishana, brother of Ravana, advised King Ravana as above. King Ravana had a coterie of “Yes Men” surrounding him. All of them supported Ravana in his pursuit of waging a war against Lord Rama. All his men knew that it was an effort in futile, but none dared to broach the matter. Heeding to the cacophony of his “Yes Men”, King Ravana pressed on with his war effort only to lose war and his life. These “Yes Men” would have done to ensure that they survived in the reign of a dysfunctional leader.

"The danger of surrounding yourself with “yes” people is that often those people are telling you what they think you want to hear versus what they actually think," said Kim Scott, author of?Radical Candor. "If you haven't created a culture of psychological safety on your team, chances are people aren't going to feel empowered to challenge you when you're wrong, which can lead to disastrous consequences", she wrote. She recommends leaders ask for criticism regularly and must reward candor when received.

?“Yes man” is a dangerous man. He is a menace. He will go very far. He can become a minister, a secretary, or a Field Marshal but he can never become a leader, nor ever be respected. He will be used by his superiors, disliked by his colleagues, and despised by his subordinates. So, discard the “Yes man’”, said Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw.

King Ravana didn’t and paid the price.

It is quite evident that in all fields most key lieutenants owe their positions and authority to the leader who carried them along in their rise to power. Most of the time the leaders or decision makers build a coterie of “like-minded” people around them. This leads to building the circle of “Yes Men”. They also get rewarded by their bosses for being their “Yes Men”.

Great leaders encourage divergent viewpoints, creative ideas and innovative thinking and thus are open to dissent. They consciously build their teams of close advisors, to play devil’s advocate, who can flag their drawbacks, provide a contrarian view and challenging them intellectually so that they can improve. These teams or advisors do not colour the news or information to suit the whims of their leader.

“Very few big executives want to be surrounded by "yes" men. Their greatest weakness often is the fact that "yes" men build up around the executive a wall of fiction, when what the executive wants most of all is plain facts”, said Burton Bigleow.

Theresa May, ex-Prime Minister of Great Britain, said “ All I would say is actually I think leadership is about ensuring that you have a team of people who aren’t yes men, but a team of people who have different voices around the table, so that you can discuss matters, come to an agreement and then put the government view forward..”. She was answering a question asked about her cabinet minister Boris Johnson on his remarks of dissent on Brexit.?

Great leaders ensure that the culture of “yes-men” doesn’t seep into their coterie. They insist on listening to truth irrespective of how bad it is rather than the sugar coated “yes” from their teams. They seek feedback from their team members. They encourage free and transparent communication. They respectfully listen to contrarian, different and diverse views on their ideas. They sport open-mindedness and explore the opportunities to search for alternatives. They consciously say “no” to “Yes Men”.

“Prime Minister, before you open your mouth, would you like me to send in my resignation on grounds of health, mental or physical?”, asked Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw when he was asked to go for war in March 1971. Field Marshal explained the issues which would go against that decision. This antagonised all the ministers who were in the conference. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi wasn’t pleased. However, the Prime Minister, decided to listen to the Field Marshal.?

“It is my job to tell you the truth. It is my job to fight and win, not to lose”, said the Field Marshal. Asked about when he will be ready for it, the Field Marshal replied, “I cannot tell you now, Prime Minister, but let me guarantee you this that if you leave me alone, allow me to plan, make my arrangements, and fix a date, I guarantee you a hundred percent victory”.

He wasn’t a “Yes Man” and went on to script history by winning the war.?

Encourage your team to put forth challenging ideas. Delegate to ensure that your team members feel responsible and accountable. Seek different perspectives. Focus on forging trustworthy and strong relationships. Stand for your team and be a team player. Encourage speaking truth even if it means making things unpleasant and uncomfortable. Lead by example with moral courage and humility.

Discard “Yes Men, from your team to become a better leader.

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