Hello. Yes. How are you? Yes. Yes. Not a problem. No, no, not a problem at all. Yes, that's really, really easy. We can do that. Yes. Sure, piece of cake. No worries. Yes. And I will even send it to you by Monday. Don't worry about it. Very easy. Love helping you. Yeah, sure. Not a problem. Bye Bye.

Guys, guys, listen. Listen up, guys. Hey, everyone. I'm closing the door; please do not interrupt me. I have to do many things. I'm going to see you soon. Bye. Maybe one day. Bye.

Sound familiar? If you or your team members are saying yes to too many things, maybe it's time to Assess your Yes.

Hi, I am Noa, and I work with leaders, executives, and founders of companies just like you to go beyond with their leadership. Are you ready? Let's go.

Here's the deal. We all need to say yes to requests and asks that come on our way. It's part of our day and of our work. It feels good to help others. It also feels great when others ask us to do things that no one else is able to do. We're being seen and being noticed.

The problem is that when we say yes to too many things, this is when we lose focus. Our container is overflowing with things we said yes to. And at times, we also are not able to finish our tasks on time. Moreover, as leaders, we can create a culture of a team that says yes to too many things, and as a team, we start losing our focus. If you feel this way. It's probably a red flag for you and/or your team that you're saying yes to too many things. And as I say to my clients, this is time to “Assess the Yes!!!”

 Here are a few quick steps you can take to Assess the Yes.

People Pleasers?
Some of us identified as people-pleasers. This is when we feel happy when we help others. The problem with people pleasing is that after we say yes to too many things, we feel resentment. The resentment comes from a sense that we help everyone else, but now when we have a lot to do, no one offers to help us.
So here's a little trick that can help you make sure you say yes, only the essential things you should focus on: Postpone the Yes.
What do I mean by that?
When someone asks you to help with something or take on a new exciting project, DO NOT (and I recall – do not!) respond immediately. Rather than saying yes!, during the conversation, tell the other person or the group that you would like to take a few minutes, a few hours or even a few days to get back to them and let them know if you're able to take on that task.
The key is not to leave them hanging without a time frame – it is okay to think it over no matter how big or small this task is – just let them know how much time they should expect to wait.

To assess the Yes, lean back and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you want to take on this task? Or is it important to you?
   Sometimes we say yes to tasks we don’t even want to take on. Rather than looking on the needs of others, look at the want or importance of this task to you and your team.

2. Is this task connected to your vision for the year or to the purpose of the company or your organization?
   So your manager asked you to do something, postpone the yes, or ask them – how is that connected to our team vision and purpose? At times, even our leaders get excited with the idea – and slowing them down and asking these questions help us understand where our focus is and whether we are distracting ourselves and our team from our vision and purpose.
   When your team starts asking you this question – know you did something well!

3. Do you have the capacity or the resources to say yes to this task?
   This is an important question for you and your team’s happiness. If you don’t have the capacity and want to take on the task – make sure to communicate that with your leaders and prepare well for this conversation.

   On the other hand, maybe you have the capacity for now, but when you look at the long term, will it be sustainable or scalable for you and/or your team to say yes to this task?

   Maybe assessing the yes on your own is not enough.

4. Yes Buddy - That's when you can add a second step and identify a yes buddy. A yes buddy, like an accountability partner, can be another step in the way where the Yes Buddy is asking you the same questions you ask yourself (and maybe a few more) and going through them together to make sure you're saying yes to the right things and stay on focus.
   For your team, you can pair your team members as pair buddies to support each other the same way.

So remember, first, postpone the Yes. Then assess the Yes, and if needed, identify a Yes buddy that will help you make sure you say yes to the right things.

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