No is a Gift

An interesting discussion last night prompted me to provide another way of thinking about saying "no".  Life has taught me that "no" is distasteful to many.  I've coined and oft used the phrase, "I know a thousand nice ways to say no".

Though I had not thought about it as concretely as I shared last night, I do believe that the ability to deliver a deliberative "no" is a gift to the sender and the receiver.

Why?
A decision is helpful to set expectations and boundaries for those who are asking for time, talent or treasures.
A decision allows us to move on to other priorities, issues and requests with closure.

Yes or No?

We generally love to say and hear "yes" and we don't usually enjoy saying or hearing "no".  Both timely answers are important.  Indecision saps productivity by keeping everyone involved in a holding pattern. Answers allow closure.  We can move forward with implemention or next steps when the answer is positive.  And when the answer is negative, we can move to another option or opportunity. Timely answers provide one of the easiest productivity improvements available.