How many times did you say YES today? The kind of YES where you agreed to do something for somebody else? Maybe it was a small YES like agreeing to return a call. Maybe you promised to do a small favor or you gave your word to finish a project that’s already overdue. You’re the boss. When you say YES, you should mean it. Even more, when you say YES, you own it.
Let’s face the truth first…do you really mean YES when you say it? Or, are you the guy who doesn’t want to disappoint so you say YES? Or, are you so over-scheduled that, without a doubt, some of your YES answers always turn into a NO?
Employees don’t have the privilege of holding managers accountable. So when you say YES – but they get nothing – they know it’s usually not a good idea to tell you that it’s NO good. In the world of bosses and employees accountability is a one-way street and management is driving. You say YES but they get NO. That’s NO fair.
If someone on your team says YES you expect YES behavior. You expect not to worry about whether you can really count on them. You expect they will tell you if they can’t hit the deadline they promised. Are you willing to make YES a two-way street?
What’s your batting average on saying YES…and doing it? This is easy. When you say YES, mean it. Own it. Do it. NO fail.