SMART Talk...Conversations That Matter
Happy Sunday! The other day, I declined a potential client from a large company. After two introductory meetings, where I aimed to get to know them and vice versa, I sent them a polite email expressing that we were unable to take on the work at that time.
I found myself questioning whether we were too busy to be turning down business. While this is partly true, our decision was a reminder to stay focused on our business strategy. We are committed to evaluating every request against our mission, values, and areas of expertise.
As a leader and business owner, it's important to learn to say "no" to many things, including potential revenue. Initially, I doubted my decision after hitting send on the email. But by the end of the day, I felt calmer and realized that saying "no" was a strategic decision for both my personal and professional life.
This experience taught me a few things about saying "no":
1. Saying no was not rejecting the client, but rather prioritizing myself and my business. It meant more focus and a strategic approach to life.
2. I knew from the first meeting that the potential client wasn't the right fit, but we often overlook the ROI of our time investments.
3. Saying no helped me clarify my "why" in life.
4. Ultimately, saying "no" made me feel empowered and more in control of who I am.
I used to be a "yes" person, not wanting to disappoint others. Learning to say "no" and using it as a strategy in both our personal and professional lives is not easy, but it can simplify your life.
I encourage you to learn to say no as well. It may be challenging, but it will be worth it. Saying no can truly be a powerful strategy for both your personal and professional life.
These are the conversations that truly matter.
The WEBB Advisory Group
The WEBB Center for Social Impact was created and shaped by over 50 years of lived experience as a Black woman in America.
Focusing on domestic policy specifically, our institute provides a global worldview perspective for black and brown women from the diaspora living in America today.
Using research data, lived experiences, and stories of impact, policymakers and leaders can understand the social impacts various policies have on black and brown children and women, today and tomorrow.
In response to various incidents in our country's recent history, history mustn't repeat itself. Therefore, the WEBB Center For Social Impact strives to provide voter information, information on issues for policymakers, information for community activists, and information for anyone who seeks to understand the social impacts of public policy on individuals and communities.
Attention Bias
What is attention bias? Attention bias is our tendency to prioritize certain types of stimuli/information over others. At any given moment, an individual's senses can perceive countless stimuli in our immediate surroundings. Threat-related attention bias refers to the tendency to prioritize the processing of threats over benign or neutral stimuli. Is it no wonder we have biases related to race, ethnicity, disability, and more?
Each of us individually generates more information than ever before in human history. We take in almost 90,000 pieces of information daily, yet our brains can only filter in about 10 percent of that information. The rest, well is stored in our subconscious minds and often when we perceive a threat we act upon it.
How do you perceive the world around you and how can you understand your attention bias?
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Prayer for the Week
As he sat by the river, the eyes of his understanding began to be opened; not that he saw any vision, but he understood and learnt many things, both spiritual matters and matters of faith and of scholarship, and this with so great an enlightenment that everything seemed new to him.
- Ignatius of Loyola, The Autobiography
Dear God,
Thank you for teaching us that the best way to peace is to learn to say "no" to those things that take us off course from our mission here on earth. Amen.
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