Stephanie was a child when she found out that the 14th and 15th letters of the alphabet, read outloud, say No. At the time she thought it was a sick burn, she’s since learned that the two letters were placed together because it’s one of the most powerful words in the English language. One that entrepreneurs need to use more, and understand why that matters so much as well.

Reason #1 To Say “No” More Often

Over the years of being a business owner, Stephanie has been involved with more than one group. Sometimes non-profit groups as a volunteer, sometimes networking groups for connections with other entrepreneurs, and sometimes for personal fulfillment. Many times over the years, she’s come to the realization that what was once serving her is no longer doing the same. Most times, she’s struggled with saying No to what’s usually a great cause or organization.

This has regularly led to Stephanie staying involved with a group organization longer than she absolutely had to. The problem stems when Stephanie starts becoming overextended and exhausted. Just because something starts as an Energy Advantage doesn’t mean it always stays there. And that means that sometimes something that was giving energy, can both stop, and eventually start draining energy instead.

When we don’t say No to those things, we end up unable to give our best in other situations. If our peak performance is level 10 when we’re doing well, it can be as low as a level 2 or 3 when we’re feeling drained.

And frankly, the people who count on you deserve to be able to receive the highest level of you, and you don’t deserve to perform at that level either.

Reason #2 to Say “No” More Often

Most of us have heard the story of the kid watching a butterfly crawl out of its cocoon in the backyard. The child is so excited all day watching the butterfly slowly push its way out, but by afternoon, he’s tired of waiting. So he goes into the house, returns with a pair of scissors and trims the cocoon to help the butterfly escape. The only problem is that fighting their way out of the cocoon is how the butterflies new body pushes the fluid from the body into the wings so they can stay stretched out and fly.

The help the boy gives ends up crippling the butterfly entirely as the wings never had the chance to spread to their greatest selves and the butterfly ends up crawling with crumpled wings for the rest of its short life. It’s a very sad story.

It’s important to say No to helping sometimes. Especially as employers with our employees on the right occasions. It’s not always helpful for us to be Johnny-on-The-Spot and step in to help out when our team members are struggling. This could be saying No to ourselves, or No to our team when they ask for help with something you know is within their capability. It’s tough, but Stephanie often reminds herself that sometimes by stepping up to help, she’s actually hurting her team more than helping. 

The key is to watch carefully, step in when it becomes too much, and ensure they have the tools and knowledge necessary to succeed!