Saying yes involves taking some kind of action or risk, and that takes courage. Saying no requires no effort, even a child can do it.
What's worse than a "Yes Man?" A lot of people would say it's a "No Man."
The 'No Man' boss holds back everyone with his can't-do attitude. It guards him against anything going wrong and is the safest harbor against more work, ownership of a situation, and blame. The Wall Street Journal's Jared Sandberg says the No Man or No Woman may be caught up in his sense of superiority. He would like others to believe he's a perfectionist and thinks a yes would be relaxing his authority.
Teresa Amabile, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, says negative evaluation is a tactic bosses often use when they feel intellectually insecure. Her studies, however, show that some workers may perceive criticism as smarter than praise. Perpetual critics may be viewed as smarter than the approvers even when the circumstances and facts prove otherwise. Amabile says some people are hardwired to pay more attention to negative stimuli.
The naysayers, however, deflate motivation and bring productivity to a grinding halt in order to protect their egos. (One consultant claims that behind every no, there's a scardy-cat.) Saying yes involves taking some kind of action or risk, and that takes courage. Saying no requires no effort, even a child can do it.
