Finding Balance: Exploring the Power of "Yes, If"

For years I’ve told anyone who would listen that there’s a way to avoid saying “Yes” to everything and becoming overwhelmed, or saying “No” too often since there can be serious consequences such as not being seen as cooperative, collegial, approachable, or a real team player.

Having almost always applied this approach to person-to-person situations, I’ve now seen evidence of how saying “No” can result in some rather dire consequences for one’s organization…

Blockbuster said “No” to buying Netflix for $50M. Netflix is now worth $138B and we’re all asking, “Where’s the last Blockbuster store?”

MySpace said “No” to Facebook’s offer to merge for $75M. Facebook’s now worth $566B, and MySpace???

Ross Perot said “No” to buying into Microsoft for $60M. Microsoft is now worth $1.04T (that’s Trillion), and Mr. Perot later acknowledged that not purchasing Microsoft was one of the biggest mistakes he made.

And then there’s George Bell, the CEO of Excite, who said to “No” to buying Google for $750K. Google is now worth $785B, and Excite is in the same place as MySpace.

AND SO THE LESSON IS…

There are times to say “No,” and when they arise then be firm and always provide a rationale.

Yet when those times present themselves, I recommend you take a moment and simply ask yourself, “What if I said…

“Yes, if you can give me the balance of today to finish what I’m working on.”

"Yes, if we can meet later today so that I can best understand your ask.”

"Yes, if you can get our VP to give me an extra day to finish what they assigned me to do.”

”Yes, if…” allows you to avoid the burden caused by always saying “Yes” and the disdain if you say “No.” It allows you to create alternatives and options that will more likely produce a mutually beneficial win/win positive outcome.