Successful Leaders Know How to Say No

During the couple of decades I spent in corporate America, I learned that there is more than one way to get to the top of the organizational chart.  I have witnessed the early riser who soars up the corporate ladder at break neck speed.  I have also watched as a gentle leader climbed deliberately and at a manageable pace.  You have probably witnessed the fast rising star as well.  The speed of the trip to the top was almost matched in rate with the descent. 

Based upon my observations, I have concluded that one of the primary secrets to long lasting and fulfilling leadership is the ability to say no.  The fast paced life of the early riser was filled with over obligations.  Usually their family life suffered to the point of divorce, their children grew up with things instead of parents, their health deteriorated, and in their emptiness they searched for meaning through escape (drugs, alcohol, risky behavior).  Their leadership and career derailment was typically met with little pity by those who had worked with them over the years.

Saying no is an absolute necessity for prolonging the wonderful experience of leadership.  I offer the following tips for negotiating this important skill development:

1. Prioritize!  You cannot be all things to all people.  Successful leaders engage a type of self discovery process every year or so that results in a written strategic plan for their lives.  You can do the same by curiously searching out the three to five things you value most in life.  If you had to live without everything and everyone in the world except for those few things, what would they be?  Where do you see yourself and what do you see yourself doing five years from now?  What kind of person do you want to be five years from now? 

2. Tell time what to do!  Everyone has a finite number of seconds every day.  How you distribute them determines your life priorities.  You cannot place a premium on your health and not delegate time to taking care of yourself.  Successful leaders maintain congruity between their chosen priorities and their scheduled activities.  Delegate your time in line with your priorities through spending a few minutes every day planning the next.

3. Gently refuse non priority requests for your time.  There is an art to saying no.  Focusing on the reason for not being involved will help those requesting your time understand.  If you have scheduled your time on priorities, a request to serve on yet another committee might receive the response, “Sounds like a wonderful opportunity, but I am already committed to ….  Have you considered the contributions Jane might make to this committee?” 

Saying no might slow down the pace of your climb up a corporate ladder, but it will increase your stamina and staying power.  Your willingness to say no will allow you to look back over time and see that you have met your priorities.  You will have no regrets about spending your time on the things that are most important to you.  You will enjoy the experience of leadership for a prolonged period of time!