'Extraordinary leadership starts with knowing when to say no'
The ability to say "no" is a core leadership skill that is widely recognised as essential to being effective. Yet for many leaders, it remains one of the toughest words to say at work.
Certified coach Sylvia Nicolas has seen this pattern repeatedly, particularly among new leaders.
"This is one of the most common challenges I see with new leaders – they say yes when they desperately want to say no," Nicolas said in an article for The Coach Space.
She attributed this challenge to a variety of factors, such as the need to be liked, the lingering reflex to seek others' approval, and the pull of impostor syndrome that drives new leaders to overcommit in an effort to prove they deserve their role.
But she stressed that saying yes to everything demonstrates overcommitment, sets unrealistic expectations, and dilutes focus from strategic priorities.
Saying the tough word "no" at work can be mastered in different ways.
Janet Shlaes, former director of the Centre for Innovative and Lifelong Learning at Rush University Medical Centre, said a prerequisite for saying no is courage.
"Embodying courage requires the cultivated ability to stay grounded in your best-case-scenario decisions and composed when feeling pressured by others," Shlaes said in an article for Psychology Today.
Experts also underscored that saying "no" is not an act of rejection, but about recognising and enforcing what should be...
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