1. JIM SHORTS – “NO” is a Good Word
I saw a raucous 4 year old running like the bulls of Pamplona. Didn’t take a degree in nuclear physics
to predict the outcome. True to form, his momentum and his gait got discombobulated and he
splayed on the concrete like a spring calf. With a bloodied lip, he looked back at his dad and said,
“Boy, life is tough!”
What a great lessonto learn at an impressionable age - life istough. Things don’t get easier as we
grow. We learn to cope and compensate; to get along, we must go along. Somewhere along the
road, we learn that pleasing others is the best course of action to get along. Depending on a policy
of making others happy won’t help us make the hard decisions.
Leaders have to do things they don’t like – firing people, budget cuts, telling vendors their services
won’t be needed,etc. In a culture that emphasizes political correctness and being non-offensive,few
have learned the value of saying “NO”.
We’ll be better workers and persons when we learn that saying “NO” is good. Life is tough -
emotionally intelligenthealthy persons know that an internal toughness is neededto truly get along.
We garner more respect and get things done better by saying “NO”. An internal mental toughness is
developed that help us make balanced (facts over emotions) decisions.
Ways to developthe value habit of saying “NO”:
 Come in early to get work done vs. staying late or taking it home.
 Consciously say “NO” to something or someone every day.
 Skip the company candy jar and eat a carrot.
 Resist the temptation to tell just one more story and end the conversation.
We don’thave tobe rude whensaying“NO”.We are totreatotherswithgrace andrespect.Realizingthat
a good tool in the toolbox to have is the “NO” word, means we’ll helpout our company and ultimately
ourselves.BTW,saying“YES”isalso an importanttool inthe box!!Increase yourvalue byadding“NO”to
the box.