As I reflect on the personal leadership challenges I have observed in myself and other leaders, I’ve realized that “no” is a hard word for many managers to say.
Saying yes as a manager is easy. You, as a manager, want to say yes. You want to be liked. You want to walk alongside the employees you supervise and be there for them. You think, “We are a team, after all, and a team gets along!” The words you say every day — sure, OK, you bet — they’re all versions of “yes.”