“Sometimes our stop-doing list needs to be bigger than our to-do list.”~ Patti Digh

Fresh out of a department head meeting your head is spinning. This was the rare brainstorming session that set you on fire with ten solid initiatives that would dramatically improve your operations. You fly back to your desk and go back over your meeting notes to start the planning process. Halfway through the list, like a cream pie in the face, you are slapped with the brutal reality. All the ideas are gold and require working with other departments, but all ten initiatives aren’t feasible. You might be able to pull of two of the ideas, and you’re going to have to cast eight potential diamonds in the trash can.

You’ve been placed in the unenviable position of saying no. In this situation, no is not a word that crosses our lips. We’re the hard chargers who never say die of the business world, so there must be a way, right? No, there’s not. There comes a time when possibilities are infinite enough you must make a choice not to do all the good things for your business you can. You must pick the best things for your business. Steve Jobs was faced with this conundrum when he returned to Apple in 1997. At the time, Apple’s product offerings were nearing the point of unmanageability. Jobs wanted to focus the company’s attention on four products—a portable and desktop product for the consumer and professional markets. To achieve that goal, Steve Jobs had to say a lot of nos. Tat’s what good leaders do. They triage. They prioritize. They say, “no,” when saying “yes” would be a lot easier and certainly more palatable. 

We must abandon the belief that saying no means giving up. Saying no when prioritizing is a tool, not an excuse. Somewhere in the process there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth, but the prudent use of the word no will save greater heartache in the future. And, it just might enable the “yes” that changes the world.

Consider this …

1. What are all of the potential “yesses” you’re being faced with currently?

2. Look back over your life and career. Where have you experienced temporary setbacks, yet reigned triumphant in the end? What inspired you to keep going? From where did this inspiration come?

3. Which of those projects or initiatives have the greatest potential for positive impact and which ones must you say “no” to, for now?

For more, check out The Top Performer’s Field Guide, The Innovator’s Field Guide, or visit www.JeffStandridge.com.

(Originally published in The Top Performer’s Field Guide..)