#CoachingCorner: Yes, No………,Maybe So?
By Master Coach Marilou Butcher Roth
At different times, we are all asked to do something that requires either a yes or no response. If you are a regular reader of my posts, you will have undoubtedly found this topic surfacing more than once over the past several years. And it is one of those topics that proves beneficial to repeat. So many people jump to a “yes,” not wanting to let someone down or to present themselves in their best possible light. Is your yes a true yes?
What if you allowed yourself the luxury of not giving an immediate response? How harmful would it be to make a request to get back to the person by a designated time (and then do it)? This intentional pause gives you some space to tune into whether or not their request is in alignment with you, which can be tricky to identify.
You can begin the process by asking yourself why you might want to do whatever it is. How might it impact your life, etc. Is it a want or a should? Does the request require time, and if so, how much? And, is that time something you have and spend in that way? Of course, these questions will vary depending on the request.
You can also come at this from the opposite direction - what if you said no? How does that play out? How does it feel?
All of these questions can be quite helpful in clarifying for yourself when to agree to something and when to pass, knowing that if you do pass, you can do it gracefully.
Today, pay attention to possible requests of you and see if you can put this post into play!
