Who’s familiar with the old story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”? Here’s a short recap: An emperor thinks he’s wearing a new suit, but he’s really just naked. When he parades around in his “new suit,” the people are too scared to tell him that he isn’t wearing anything, so nobody does for a while.
Folks, this is exactly the kind of thing you want to avoid in business. Do you want to be the naked emperor who thinks he’s wearing a magnificent suit? No. So don’t be the entrepreneur whose dumb ideas are applauded. Be the entrepreneur whose employees (or coworkers, as I like to call them) have the courage to say No, your ideas are crap.
I don’t know about you, but I need my coworkers to save me from myself. Sure, I have plenty of experience and great ideas. But, I also know that sometimes my ideas may be a little out there. And when I’m out in the cornfield again, pursuing some goofy idea, I need coworkers who are willing to tell me and reel me in.
That’s why I cannot hire a yes-man (or woman). Trust me when I say that you do not want to hire yes-people if you want to grow your small business.
Where’s Waldo? Spotting the yes-man
It’s easy to spot the yes-man . . . if you’re watching a TV show or movie. But when it’s happening in your business, finding the yes-men and women might not be so easy.
Here are some things that might indicate you’re dealing with a yes-person or people:
- You feel good about your business ideas all the time (aka, your ego is huge).
- There’s never any pushback.
- You only hire like-minded employees.
- Nobody takes responsibility because nobody else is accountable.
- Your company culture creates and rewards yes-men and women.
- An employee tells you your ideas are good but tells others they’re bad.
- Your business is plateauing.
- You say something crazy and your employees agree.
Looking for a yes-man might be tricky at first. But as you start to pick up on more signs, it will get easier.
Why you should hire the nope-guy or gal instead
Some of your business ideas are going to be crazy. You’re an entrepreneur—you sometimes fly by the seat of your pants. But that’s OK! For as many good and creative ideas you have, you’re bound to have a few that are a little out there (or some that aren’t out there enough).
And when you inevitably come up with something that could end up hurting your business, you don’t want someone kissing up to you and agreeing with your horrible idea. You don’t need an enabler. Entrepreneurs need people to say Nope, not a good idea or Nope, here’s how we can do it better. We need nope-guys and gals.
So when it comes time to hire or promote someone in your business, you need to look past the yes-men and women and find the nope-guys and gals. Don’t believe me? Here are a few reasons why you need to say no to the yes-man.
1. The yes-man squashes innovation and growth
Businesses need innovation to grow—true or false? Companies need growth to stay in business—true or false? True and true.