I crystal clear remember a writing on my former boss’s office wall, so bold that you could barely miss it -the word *”NO”*. In his words he said “Fear not that word NO”, it neither kills nor bites.
Have you met people who fear & only stop at the NO feedback and have consequently missed out on a host of opportunities? Sure, i too have crossed paths with a number of them. Let’s nibble at just a sample below;
An employee might fear to proactively table a business idea to his or her boss because of a ‘NO’. Yet that idea Could turn around the success and fortune of the company.
It is sad to note that potential ideas don’t make it out of the incubator, infact they’re aborted in the mind because of fear of that word ‘NO’.
An able bodied young man walked into my office sometime in 2019, i gave a listening ear as he shared his challenges with me. He apparently had a newly wed wife and neither of them had a job, as if to escalate matters fast, they were staying in the city. When i say Kampala, i mean the environs in Kampala. When you travel to the village for the festivals, you stand with or close to those from “Kampala” even when you are from Kayunga district, i relate. Anyway, i recommended this gentleman to a certain big organization, he was presented with a marketing/sales opportunity which he turned down. Could it be that he feared the word NO, a word that’s not new to the ears of any sales representative outthere.
Recently, a young man in senior 4 vacation came to my office, he made me buy a bulb that i didn’t not necessarily need. I was left astonished by his confidence in marketing the product. He is a relentless flourishing 18 year old lad.
I would like you to note the following from this insight;
1. “NO” does not kill. Be courageous and go for it. David saved the Israelites from Philippians because he did not fear the “possible NO” from his big brothers. Go for it.
2. Prepare yourself. Even though the ‘NO’ does not kill, it does not mean that you approach a situation or someone without preparation. Preparation is the key. At my company, i have received job applications from university graduates addressing it to *The permanent Secretary*..
If you do not prepare, expect the NO in capital letters. I will expound more on the subject of preparation in one of the insights.