Getting to "No"

Being productive means working on tasks and projects that people think are important and they want to get done.  Sometimes it can be difficult to determine if something that SEEMS important is really important or not. 

There's a lot written about "Getting to Yes", including a book on negotiation.  Sales people are often instructed on how to get a prospect to say "yes" to a sales proposition.  But often times it is just as important - if not more so - to get to "no".

Why?  Because I want to use my time as effectively as I can, and I don't want to spend time on things that people don't take seriously.  In the sales world, there's a saying that a person should "fail early".  What this means is that there are reasons and criteria that a sale might happen.  A good sales person will discover quickly whether or not those criteria and conditions exist.  If a good salesperson discovers that the criteria for making the decision don't exist, he or she will make a quick determination about how much more time and effort to spend with the prospect.  In many cases, it's better to fail early and not waste time with a prospect who can't or won't make a decision.

What holds true in the sales cycle should hold true for co-workers and team members as well.  I think it is very important to understand, as clearly and definitively as possible, what's important to your manager and your work group.  How are they compensated?  What's important to them?  Does a specific project or task hold out real threats to their way of life in the company?  If so, you may discover that you can work a long time on a task that just does not seem to go anywhere, and is never "finished" or resolved.  That's because someone or some group simply doesn't want it to be changed.  There are two ways to resolve this.

One is the fail faster principle.  Discover what's important to your prospect (teammates, manager) and determine if the outcome is worth the effort.  Whenever possible, work on tasks and projects that have a chance to move forward, rather than on projects that will twist in the wind.  Find out if the political will is in place to carry a project forward.  If not, get to the "no" as early as possible and do something else.  This does not make you a shirker, just helps you use your time and effort as effectively as possible.

The other option is to saddle up and become the knight that slays the dragon.  In this case you've got to kill some sacred cows in order to keep a project moving.  This decision will tend to isolate you in the organization, but in some cases it may be the right long term decision.  The people who care about those sacred cows will do everything they can to get in your way.  You'll need some specific management cover, so go to the top of the hierarchy and make sure that the project is important to someone that matters.

These two approaches aren't mutually exclusive.  In any case, it's important to get to "no" as early as possible so you can decide to take up another project or saddle up to finish the one you've started.  What's really important in all of this is to gain the understanding, as quickly as possible, about the commitment of the management and the team around you, and to spend your time working on items that will be supported, funded and resourced.

Getting to "yes" is great when that is possible - getting to "no" can be just as important.

Comments

[Derek Scruggs]

I wholeheartedly agree. Specific to sales, one of the most time-wasting sentences you will ever hear is "I want to think it over." Don't accept it! Push them to a no.

I obviously have strong opinions about this. See http://www.askderekscruggs.com/up-front-contracts.html and http://www.askderekscruggs.com/slow-turndowns-bad-up-front-contract.html

[shelly]

You know, Jeffrey, today my boss and I were in the middle of making the decision to turn down an opportunity to bid on a job..painfully writing a "just-say-no email response" when during a lull in the conversation, I checked your blog. You inspired us to continue in the negative and I gotta say, it feels great! Sometimes even though you know it's somewhere between a long shot and a lost cause, saying no to an opportunity is impossible. . . but not now! I'm going to start saying no to everyone.