There have been some schools of thought in the last decade that encourage leaders to say no more than they say yes. No to new programming, activities, and methods in favor of focusing on a few tasks and priorities that supposedly will be more successful if their approach is a “rifle instead of a shotgun.” While I understand the power of focus and the need to do things well, I am one who believes that there is value in a comprehensive approach to serving our communities, organizations, and the people in our care. What kind of leader would I be if I told my team that I was only going to give attention to a few of them and ignore the others because I wanted to focus my efforts on those who were most important? I believe it would be wrong for me to do that, just as I believe that I will miss out on many opportunities to serve others if I prematurely decide what I will or won’t be willing to do when new ideas come to my attention. I’ve heard leaders say, “We do these few things and say no to everything else” even before they know what the everything else is!
I’m not a fan of saying no. I don’t see much value in being simple for simple’s sake. I don’t want to be remembered for doing only one or two things, even if I’ve done them extremely well. I believe that the “simple movement” has limited organizations which have tremendous capacity and potential for doing great things because their leaders intentionally stunted their growth. Remember the word diversification? No one would ever suggest to put all of our investments into one fund or commodity only, and it’s the same in our organizations and businesses. As our world becomes more global and diverse, it’s important that we serve more than merely a select few. Singular focus may make you great at one thing, but in order to be agile and ready for new opportunities, we must have the mindset that we are ready to say yes more than we say no.
I was talking with an entrepreneur the other day who had a dilemma many would love to have. They had a sudden rush of orders for their product. Of course they were thrilled, but the extra business wasn’t part of their plan for the week. They had already mapped out what they were going to do and the additional orders messed with the plan. It’s funny that more business than expected can actually become a problem! They asked my advice and I told them to figure out a way to say yes. By doing so, they become known as a company that can respond to unforeseen customer needs even in a rush situation. By saying yes, they will generate new business and develop repeat business. They may have been able to say no to the urgent need that came up this time, but when they do that, the customer will find someone else to meet their needs and business will be taken elsewhere. Even though saying yes meant more work and inconvenience, it gave this entrepreneur an opportunity to serve more people. Our organizations need to do that. As leaders, we need to be willing to broaden our influence and service by learning to say yes, even when by doing so we make our lives harder. I want to live in a world of yes. I’m proud that I can meet the needs of more people and that I haven’t fallen victim to the mediocrity of simple. What about you? Say yes!
Lead well.