The YES MAN is a person who agrees with everything their employer, superiors, leader, etc. says in order to please them (no matter what his or her own personal beliefs are).
For many people, working at an organization means always saying “yes”. This attitude can be very dangerous for the good management of a company. If you tend to hide the bad news, in fact, vital information will be missing and this lack of information could make wrong decisions to the management. If this happens at the highest levels of an organization the results are catastrophic but even going down the pyramid of power such attitudes always complicate the life of a company.
When managers lack the ability to effectively counter the decisions of managers that appear to be wrong, there is the risk that not all aspects of a delicate issue are examined and that strategic mistakes can be made that can be very expensive. A tolerant business culture is based on the fact that its leader – although very effective – can make mistakes, just like all other men, and that when this happens there must be someone who is able to tell him to have him examine the matter from a point of view that he may have overlooked. The challenge is to create a work environment in which the exposure of bad news is not only tolerated but even encouraged.
The challenge is to create a work environment in which the exposure of bad news is not only tolerated but even encouraged.
Leaders tend to face the problem, rather than simply blaming and working to prevent the problem from happening again in the future. A fundamental way of acting to prevent a yes-man culture is to create an environment where responsibility is collective. Accustom people to take on the mistakes they made and to imagine the solution. Explain to them that bad news is better digested by anyone if it is accompanied by a proposed solution and, above all, by the identification of the causes that triggered the problem.
A fundamental way of acting to prevent a yes-man culture is to create an environment where responsibility is collective
Not “being able to say no” because you cannot “having to say no” becomes then not “wanting to say no”, with tragic results. So… How can you manage it? 3 little tips:
- Honesty is key
If you are directly asked your opinion or given the opportunity to share your opinion, be honest! No employer wants to hear about how their company is perfect in every way when it isn’t. In the end, an employer wants to hire someone who can offer a fresh perspective to improve. - Keep it positive
Just because you aren’t saying yes to everything doesn’t mean you can’t be positive. Employers want to hire folks who have a positive outlook. Adopt this attitude: if things aren’t working right now, they can change and be amazing. - Be respectful
While you should be honest, this isn’t license to be rude. Respect the interviewer by keeping eye contact and not editorializing your observations with snarky or biting comments.
Last but not least, remember that anyone can criticize but the best employees have solutions. If you’re going to share your opinion have an improvement in mind otherwise you will just be complaining.
“Yes men” can lead to corporate catastrophe due to lack of courage in telling the truth and lending itself to pretending to satisfy claims that they consider clearly impossible