To Be an Effective Leader,

You’ve Got to Learn to Say

No.

As a business owner, everyone and

their brother is coming to you and

asking you to do something.

• Can you donate to this charity golf

tournament?

• Can you hire my teenage son?

• Can you give me a raise?

• Can you sponsor this or sign up for that?

• Can I pick your brain about something?

You need to

learn when to

say no to

requests from

others

AND

when to say

no to yourself.

Saying No to

Others

The majority of requests we receive are

related to others asking something from us.

We don't want

to make other

people

unhappy.

Saying yes just

feels easier.

Before you say yes, ask yourself if

this is truly a wise use of your time or

if you’re choosing the easy way out.

Remember that every time you

say yes to something, you are

saying no to something else.

• Yes, I'll do all that work for $40 - then

you're saying no to getting another job in

that extra time you spend on the original

house and making double the money.

• Yes, I'll sponsor a hole at the charity golf

tournament - you're saying no to spending

that marketing money on something you

know brings in a good ROI.

You might even

need to say no to

potential new

clients.

If your teams are maxed

out, or not fully trained, you

might have to say no or put

a prospect on a waiting list.

Saying no is not selfish. If you say yes too often, you

don't have time to do what you've promised to do.

You simply aren't honoring your existing obligations

with your best efforts.

Saying NO

to Yourself

Field service owners are used to

“Doing It Themselves.”

What other beliefs are holding your business back?

Our tendency is to

simply rush in and do a

task rather than go

Why are you still doing $10/hour work?

through the time

to explain it and

delegate it to

someone else.

You would do it

better anyway,

right? WRONG!

This wastes time

and money.

You need to learn to say no when someone

asks you to do something that another

person in the company could do.

Not only does this free

you up to work on

those things that bring

in the most money, but

it also allows others to

develop new skills and

experience.

Why you need to get yourself out of the field!

You also need to learn to say no when it

comes to working overly long hours.

Running yourself

ragged risks getting

burned out and

making yourself sick.

You also don't get a chance to try new things

if you're always working on the business

because you don't have any time to spare.

Saying NO Respectfully

Most of us feel very awkward

and uncomfortable when we

have to tell someone NO, and if

we don't do it in the right way, we

can unintentionally offend.

So, when telling someone no,

there are a few things to

consider.

Don't procrastinate.

While it is OK to sleep

on your decision,

waiting too long just

builds up tension and

makes the situation

worse.

Be respectful. Giving a short

description or story of your

situation sometimes helps to

explain why you are saying NO.

Choose your

words carefully.

This is part of

being respectful,

but the language

matters,

especially in an

email where the

tone doesn't

convey.

Communicate in the medium

of your choice.

Face to face is always best

where the person can see

and hear you. Phone is

next best where at least

they can hear your tone of

voice and inflections.

Email/text should be your last

choice, as it is most prone

to misunderstandings.

Be clear when

stating your No.

Don't waffle

around.

"No, I cannot

attend your

event because I

will be out of

town that

weekend.”

Provide an alternative

if you have one. If you

can help in the future,

at a different time, or

can send someone

else or money to

help, let them know.

Write down your response

and think on it first.

If you think your response is going to

be at all controversial, let someone

else look it over before sending. Sleep

on it and review to make sure you

are still being respectful.

Be ready to repeat.

Sometimes the person asking for

your help is persistent. You need to

stand firm and repeat your no until

they get the message.

When considering whether to

say yes to something, keep in

mind the vision you have for

your business.

If this doesn't move towards that

vision in some way, the best

answer is usually to say no.

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