I love yesness. But it can be a liability.
Yesness is that attribute is possessed by people who are willing to try new things, go where leaders direct, and generally approach life without a neon NO over their heads.
When does yesness become a liability? When yes people consistently take on more than they can handle, leading to them persistently disappointing people who are counting on them.
I know yes people who say yes when they don’t have quite enough time – and then cancel at the last minute, when something else rang long. I know yes people who take on additional responsibilities on a project, leading to their core responsibility getting less than their full attention. I know yes people who commit to more projects than they can possibly juggle at once, leading to dropped balls.
(Heck, that sounds a lot like me.)
The challenge is to channel your yesness into things you can deliver on. Overdone yesness only leads to burnout for yourself or disappointment for the people around you.
Say yes, but know when to say when.