In business, much credit is given to the power of โyes.โ
When we talk about success, we talk about having a โcan doโ attitude. We talk about being open to new ideas. Weโre encouraged to say yes to opportunity.
On the surface, this sounds like a great idea. Positive attitude. Positive outcome. In fact, thereโs plenty of research showing that a positive attitude is good for morale and health.
But are there times when โnoโ is a better ally?
Saying yes to too many things can derail your focus, diminish your energy, and dilute your effectiveness.
Legendary Apple designer Jony Ive illustrated this concept perfectly in a recent conversation with Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter at the magazineโs New Establishment Summit held in San Francisco (Oct. 5-7). At the event, which brought together titans of technology, politics, business and media, Ive talked about life lessons learned from working with Steve Jobs. One of them was the power of no in achieving laser focus.
Ive describes Jobs as โthe most remarkably focused person Iโve ever met in my life.โ
According to Ive, Jobs achieved that remarkable level of focus through a consistent and disciplined tactic of saying no to anything that might take the focus away from the immediate goal. Even when he wanted to say yes.
โWhat focus means is saying no to something you think is a phenomenal idea, but you say no to it because youโre focusing on something else.โ
That doesnโt mean ignoring good ideas. It means not allowing them to distract you from the good idea youโre already committed to.
โFocus is not something you aspire to,โ Ive said. โIt is an every minute, why are we talking about this? This is what weโre working on.โ
Jobs would test Iveโs focus by regularly asking, โHow many things have you said no to today?โ
Itโs easy to see the power of no in the simplicity and beauty of Appleโs design and function. That power is also evident in good writing, a strong business pitch, a targeted strategy, anywhere that less is more. Itโs been said that knowing what to leave out is as important as knowing what to leave in. Thatโs just another facet of knowing when to say no.
Saying yes feels good. Staying on task, on time, and on target feels even better. How many things will you say no to today?
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