Issue No. 418 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting features a contender for my 2019 book-of-the-year. Why? It will help you say NO more often than you say YES. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and check out this website for recent book reviews, including ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance.
"NO" Is a Complete Sentence!
Doug Fields emotes:
“Some people believe working in a church is the most serene, stress-free job around. These people are wrong.”
He adds, “Church work can be just as demanding and just as work-intensive as any other job—with the added assumption (from those demanding your time) that you’re never too busy, too swamped, or too exhausted to meet just one more need.
“After all, the Creator of the universe doesn’t get tired. And if you’re working for Him, how can you approach the job any differently? Days off? Vacation? Ha! You get the idea.”
Then in big and bold 24-point font (ALL CAPS), he confesses:
“WHAT I DIDN’T REALIZE WAS THAT EVERY ‘YES’ I WAS SAYING TURNED INTO AN UNSPOKEN ‘NO’ AS WELL, OFTEN TO THE PEOPLE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME.”
Yikes!
That’s from pages 30-31 of this quick-reading (but convicting) 97-page book by author, speaker, and consultant Doug Fields, on the power of saying NO! The subtitle is motivating and promising: NO! A Guide for Busy People: Banish Busyness and Focus on What Matters Most.
Fields, author of more than 50 books, says that he was good at being a “yes man,” and signed on for a thousand commitments that distracted him from “the very things that mattered most.” Today…he lists the benefits of saying NO:
• “My relationships are better
• My soul is healthier
• My laughs are louder
• My stress is lower
• My pace is slower
• My blood pressure is [not perfect, but…] good enough.”
Doug adds that “NO” has become “my friend, companion, and my go-to. I never realized how much power there is in a well-used ‘no.”
Almost half of the stunning color pages of this 97-page gem feature full-page quotable quotes on the power of saying NO. (It was very tempting to feature those quotes instead of writing this review.) November 2019 Challenge: I’ll send you a Starbucks card if you can read this book from page 1 to 97—without scanning the 40 full-page quotes first! Examples:
• “When you say yes to others, make sure you are not saying no to yourself.” (Paulo Coelho)
• “Sometimes no is the kindest word.” (Vironika Tugaleva)
• “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.” (Warren Buffet)
Okay—a few more (I’m addicted to “no” quotes!):
• “Part of the skill of saying no is to shut up afterward and not babble on.” (Judith Martin)
• “Focusing is about saying no.” (Steve Jobs)
• “Someone one told me that one ‘yes’ must be defended over time by 1,000 no’s.” (Gary Keller)
And how about this one:
“No is a complete sentence. It does not require an explanation to follow.” (Sharon E. Rainey)
So who should read this book? You? Your direct reports? Your boss? Your board chair? Your key volunteers? Your spouse? Your parents? Your kids and grandkids? At work—consider hosting a “Just Say No!” pizza party for your team—and ask seven people to give three-minute summaries of the seven chapters:
• Chapter One: 1,440 Minutes
• Chapters Two and Three: I Had No Idea…Saying No Would Be So Difficult
• Chapter Four: The Crash & Burn: Why It Happens
• Chapter Five: Avoiding a Personal Crash and Burn
• Chapter Six: Recognize the Warning Signs
• Chapter Seven: Take Action…Because You Can
“Busyness is the enemy of depth,” says Fields. This book will help you go deep—and trust me—even if you lead workshops on effective time management (or you’re the opposite—the poster person for procrastination), you’ll learn something new from this transparent and practical resource.
Fields also notes that all of us have the same number of minutes per day: 1,440 precious minutes. “Time speeds along the exact same pace for every person on this earth.” But then he adds (and he is very, very funny…): “Theoretical physicists might disagree with this, but fortunately for me, theoretical physicists tend not to read my books.”
If you need more backbone to say NO more often—buying and reading this book is a NO-brainer.
To order from Amazon, click on the title for No! A Guide for Busy People: Banish Busyness and Focus on What Matters Most, by Doug Fields. (And thanks to Doug Fields and Jason Pearson for providing a review copy of this book.)
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:
1) Doug Fields writes, “I had to learn that by making everything important, nothing was important.” What’s the culture here on our team? Are we saying “yes” too often?
2) My son, Jason, is also quoted in the book: “Practice saying no to people who only hear yes.” Today in our weekly meeting…we’re going to roleplay a scenario where you’re saying “no” to a boss who only hears “yes.” Any volunteers?!!
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With Just 21 Time Blocks, You Must Say No!
Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook
One of the big ideas in the Team Bucket, Chapter 9, in Mastering the Management Buckets is Ted Engstrom’s advice to schedule your week using 21 time blocks (7 mornings, 7 afternoons, and 7 evenings).
Then agree with your team and your spouse (if you’re married) how many time blocks you’ll work each week. If your job requires weekend work, speaking or travel (2 to 3 blocks), you may need to take time off during the week (skip work on 2 afternoons, for example).
Visit the Team Bucket and download “Worksheet #9.1: The 21 Time Blocks—Toward a God-honoring Balanced Life.” Read Chapter 9 and then affirm your commitment to limit your work to "x" time blocks per week (out of a possible 21).
For more resources from the Team Bucket, click here.
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JASON PEARSON: UNEXPECTED CREATIVE. Are you leveraging the extraordinary power of visual media to inspire your members, clients, or customers? Check out the innovative work from Jason Pearson at Pearpod Media (branding, digital, print, and video). The “No!” book was designed by Pearpod Media. Call Jason to discern if a book in your future would move you closer to your mission. (He does say “yes” occasionally!)
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