I appreciate a good, "No"

No niceties. No buts. No caveats. 

Just a period at the end.

Let it land, all on its lonesome. 

Assume I’m a big enough grownup to handle it.

That I value clarity.

That I can get over my discomfort with the sharp edges of a one-word sentence.

And if I can’t, well..

that’s for me to sort out.

A whole lot of things would be a whole lot easier if relationships/environments felt safe enough — and people felt brave enough — to just say the darn thing. 

[This post is inspired by a conversation with a group of design leaders about the importance of modeling the confidence to say “No” — and how that makes it okay for the rest of your team to do the same.]

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