Power of the Positive No: My Focus Journey Pt. 2

The phrase “power of the positive no” is the title of a book by William Ury.  I used some excellent observations from his book in Church Unique, when helping leaders to attune people to a clear, specific vision.  Here are some of my favorite quotes:

•  I slowly came to appreciate that the main stumbling block is often not the inability to get to Yes, but a prior inability to get to No.
• All good No's are in service to a higher yes.
• The right No is not the opposite of love but comes from love and grows toward love.
• Saying No has always been important, but perhaps never as essential a skill as it is today.
•  There are three “A’s” that trap us from getting to the positive No: Accommodating, which is saying Yes when we want to say No;  Attacking, which is saying No poorly; and Avoiding, which is saying nothing at all.
• Anytime you have to say No make sure you root it in a deeper Yes.
•  It’s easier to say No with a deeper Yes burning inside.

Comments

[Joe Ely]

Thanks for the tip on the book, Will!! Looks useful!!

[karen butler]

The ultimate model... I love that Jesus also had to tell folks with good intentions "no," so He could focus on His ministry plan - talk about clarity! In Luke 4:42-43, the crowd tried to keep Him from leaving them, but He said He had to go preach other places "because for this purpose I have been sent."