Episode #18 Practice Saying No
Did you know that the world’s best poker players fold more than 80% of their hands? This week, Dr. Michael Brown and Russell Catania discuss an important practice of successful leaders: choosing to decline most opportunities so that they are free to invest in the truly great ones.
Show Notes
If you don’t say 'No' to me on a regular basis, I can never trust your 'Yes.'Dr. Michael Brown
Three Problems
- It is impossible to say “Yes” to everything.
- If we don’t regularly say “No” to good things, we may jeopardize our ability to say “Yes” to great things.
- If we spread ourselves too thin, we will be unable to invest fully in what matters most.
Three Principles
- If we learn to say “No,” we learn to stop lying to ourselves and others.
- Every time we say “No,” our “Yes” becomes more powerful.
- A private “No” often matters just as much, if not more, than a public “No.”
Three Practices
- Commit to never again saying, “I will try to make it” or “I might come” if you already know that the honest answer is “No.”
- Imagine which important “Yes” could be enabled by each “No.”
- Refuse to engage in activities for the sole purpose of enhancing your resume.
In This Episode
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