Weekend Story- “Yes-But”

“Yes, but it wasn’t my fault….”

“Yes, but I didn’t know….”

“Yes, but they said….”

Bob’s manager heard this whenever he gave him (Bob was the recently hired sales executive) feedback about his ineffective performance. Whenever his manager suggested a way he might improve his work, Bob would respond with a “yes, but” and some defensive excuse. While Bob’s technical skills were acceptable, they weren’t up to mark — and unlikely to improve if he couldn’t handle hearing constructive feedback, let alone criticism.

So one day, when the company Managing Director called for staff reductions, Bob’s manager remembered his “yes, but” responses. After being told that his position was terminated, Bob tweeted, “I just got fired! They expect too much! It’s not fair!”