In both our professional and personal lives, we often say Yes to people, even when we know our honest answer is No. Why is that?
o is such a simple two-letter word, but it’s really hard to say. Through my research, I’ve identified three main reasons for this and they all relate to other people. The first is our concern for relationships. We want to have, and keep, our friends and we worry that saying No will disappoint the people we care about. The second reason is our concern for reputation — how people view us and what they say about us when we are not in the room. We say Yes when we want to say No, when we are anxious that saying No will result in other people not seeing us in a positive light. And the third reason is simple inability. We have not been socialized or taught how to say No effectively. Learning how to do this is an important skill for all of us, regardless of age
