How to know when to say No

Share

I have shared many times before about the need to set priorities, to focus and how to say No to issues that distract us from the work that really needs to be done. It is a simple word, “no”, but extremely difficult to say it, it seems. And because we find it so difficult to say, we keep finding ourselves running in the rat race and away from achieving results. Why do we find it so difficult to say “no”? Part of the problem is because we don’t like to disappoint others. Another reason I can think of is that we like to avoid turning our attention towards issues that really need to be done and postpone them instead. Finally, we may not know very well what our real priorities are. Meanwhile we keep saying “Yes” to things that do not matter that much and that steal our time and distract us, while we feel good about ourselves as we are busy being busy.

How then do we really learn how to say “No”? I was glad to read an entry on LinkedIn by Jay Mount about the same issue, in which he shares a nice framework, which may help us. The title of his article is: “Here’s how to master the art of when to say ‘No’”. Jay states that we can’t say yes to everything, or we won’t achieve our goals. He then lists six models to navigate when to say yes and when to say no and to discover how to focus on what truly matters: They are:

1. Maximize impact ➟ 20% effort, 80% results.

2. Distill priorities ➟ Urgency vs. Importance.

3. Sharpen focus ➟ Goals that reject the rest.
4. Define musts ➟ Direct effort rightly.
5. Decide with data ➟ Prioritize by numbers.
6. Satisfy smartly ➟ Choose impactful delights.
Using these principles, and throughout my career I have benefitted greatly myself from applying the 80/20 principle and separating urgent and important matters, Jay encourages us to escape the task trap and reclaim our time and energy for what truly moves the needle. Decision-making isn’t just about options…it’s about direction. Turn ‘no’ into a tool that creates success. Inspire your circle to embrace strategic choices.

I encourage the reader to carefully study the overview below and try and internalise these important principles of effective management: