The "Yeah, But......" Syndrome

Picture a room filled with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls and gold. Your objective is to gather as much you can in five minutes.  How you do it is completely up to you.

Now, each person will most likely develop his or her own strategy and technique.  Some will focus on acquiring only one type of the riches, others may simply grab whatever they can get their hands on.

But regardless of the strategy and technique, and as little or as much as any individual walks away with, the bottom line is that each person that actively participates walks away richer.

So, I am always fascinated by those people who I encounter that put up the “Yeah, but ….” resistance. Those and we all know some, who at seminars, training sessions or strategic retreats don’t actively participate, that “quit and stay” or verbally and behaviorally undermine the process. Some of the classic “Yeah, but’s”……

• I don’t want to be forced to change the way I do things
• I have a system that works for me
• I can’t do it all (so I don’t try to do any of it)
• That’s not me, not my style
• We’ve tried that before
• It just won’t work here

With any seminar, training session or strategic retreat, the inherent value of the process is adapting it to meet the particular corporate culture, the operating style, and in language that people are comfortable with. A quick sports analogy; every year I have to replace my son’s hockey equipment and I am always intrigued with the new skates.  These skates are heated and while warm they are placed on my son’s feet.  As the skates cool they mold around his feet, thereby providing a better fit, that doesn’t rub, doesn’t chafe and doesn’t pinch. In other words, taking an off-the-shelf product and customizing.  Apply this same concept for the seminars, training sessions and retreats that you attend.

Be open to new ideas and participate in the learning process, and then it’s up to you as to how “rich” you become.

You can’t learn to drive a car from reading the instruction manual.  You can’t achieve physical fitness by watching exercise videos. You can’t become more spiritual from reading books. No seminar, training session or strategic retreat, will in and of itself solve your issues, address your challenges or make you better managers or leaders.

The only way to become “rich”, and achieve the desired results and success, is to take the concepts that speak to you, that stimulate your creative impulses, that catches your imagination and apply them in practice. Make them your own.

SUCCESS DOES NOT COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT –

AND IT DOES NOT WAIT FOR ANYONE TO COME TO IT

ANONYMOUS