In coaching there is a tool named “Yes/No”. Its purpose is to help you set boundaries when you need to. Say you are in a situation where you are being asked to work very long hours on a project and upper management is putting a lot of burden on staff, without providing the resources needed to get the job done. The situation is draining your energy and frustrating you.
To employ the yes/no tool you would make a list of what you say yes to and what you say no to in the situation. Here are some examples:
• I say yes to maintaining a standard of quality on the project, so that it does not fail.
• I say yes to asking management for what I need to get the job done.
• I say no to draining my energy and getting out of balance because of the long hours and frustration of the project.
• I say no to taking responsibility beyond what I can reasonably do or for what is upper management’s responsibility.
Yes/No is a powerful tool that helps you to maintain the boundaries that you need to thrive and excel in your work!
photo: jon-tyson, unsplash.com