I am sure that dozens of astute followers will remind me of life lesson #26 that proclaimed, “Don’t be afraid to say, ‘No’.” And now I am covering all of my bases by suggesting that we find a way to provide a “Yes” response. OK Ken, you can’t have it both ways. Well, I would profess that you can.
“No” is often a difficult response to a request when you understand that the person may be disappointed or upset with a negative response. Sometimes in life that is necessary and we have to learn that lesson. The “Yes” response is proposed when both responses are acceptable and a “yes” would not really be a big deal but would just provide a more pleasing outcome for the questioner.
When we ran our conference centre business between 1997 and 2000, we hosted a wide variety of church, business and social groups. Our philosophy was that we would provide exceptional service, not just casual politeness. If a business client requested special audio-visual equipment or a unique meeting room configuration or a special menu, we never hesitated to approve and provide their request. Our success was based entirely upon Darlene’s cooking and our unfailing service.
A lot of times when I was working, I found that some individuals operated by a strict handbook or set of rules and regulations. They felt comfortable sticking to the rule book and were not really ready to consider other options. As a result of their inflexibility, a lot of hard feelings and unhappiness was often the result.
I recall a staff member who delivered her twins three months prematurely. The boys were hospitalized for two months and the teacher requested that she return to work immediately and take her maternity leave when the twins actually came home. The “rules” said she had to take her leave immediately so she was at home alone for two months and when she needed the time off she was told “No!” A little flexibility would have made the family much happier and not inconvenienced the organization at all. Try to say, “Yes” more often.
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