Commentary - Saying no to 'yes men'

News > Commentary - Saying no to 'yes men'

Saying no to 'yes men'

Posted 1/19/2011

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Commentary by Lt. Col. Jason E. Corrothers
21st Comptroller Squadron

1/19/2011 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) -- You've seen them, I've seen them, we've all seen them -- the "yes men".

You know who I'm talking about; the person who's the first to agree with the boss, the one who has that special knack for catering to the ego. The one who says things like, "Sir, yes sir, two bags full".

OK, maybe they don't say things quite like that anymore, but you get the idea. I submit to each of you that we need to challenge ourselves and say "no," and that in doing so we'll move this Air Force to new heights.

In discussions of leadership, we often hear about two sides of the same coin: leadership and followership. As I share my thoughts with you today, I'd like to hit upon a concept that links to each -- the criticality of critical thinking.

Not only as a commander, but as a fellow Airman, one of the traits I've come to admire the most is courage. Here, I mean courage not in the wartime sense of taking a hill against insurmountable odds, or in family terms of volunteering your house for a slumber party of ten-plus kids -- don't get me wrong, each takes real guts. What I mean in this case is intellectual courage. That confidence and conviction to speak up and challenge conventional thinking, even if it means saying no, while the others are saying yes.

In my estimation, the strength of the Air Force lies not in its technology, which is stunning by all accounts, but in its people. It's our people who make us the world's greatest Air Force. It's our people who possess the ideas that make the unimaginable reality. Knowing this, I think it's personally and professionally important that we look to foster a climate that values critical thinking in all ranks.

We're stronger as an organization when we listen for the "no". When we listen for the dissenting view, we open ourselves up to additional possibilities and ultimately additional insights that allow for better decision making. As Airmen, we owe that to our leaders: to critically think through recommendations or ideas and offer our own inputs. Simply remaining silent or doing the bobble-head dance compromises the heights to which our organizations can achieve.

I'm not encouraging you to shoot down what your boss or peers are trying to do. I'm encouraging you to take an active part in finding a way to make what they're trying to do better by thinking of ways to improve upon it, and that's not often done by simply saying "yes".

When ideas are tee'd up by the boss, it's an easy out to say "Yes ma'am/Yes sir -- great idea". However, the real value and the real courage comes in saying "I see where you're going, but have you thought about this ... what about trying it this way?" That's the kind of person I want to serve with.

Good leaders don't, and shouldn't, need ego boosts. What good leaders need most are folks with the intellectual courage to challenge existing ideas and processes and those committed to seeing this Air Force "Fly, Fight and Win" in astonishing fashion.

So what say you: yes or no?

Comments

1/24/2011 6:26:42 PM ET
If the Air Force wanted me to think they would have put that in the oath they pay me to follow orders.

Sgt BilllyBob, conus

1/24/2011 12:10:10 PM ET
Great stuff. It won't get you far in the political world of Senior Officer or Senior NCO promotions though. I have known and worked with so many yes men and yes they were all the ones who got the big promotions. In fact my decision to retire came about because of a yes man that was my Command Chief. He was so transparent in his mission to try and impress his boss that he lost track of the people he was there to represent. He was the E-9 people often talked about not a Chief. Oh evidence of his transparency was his return to his career field CMSAF Mckinley was a true Chief. I worked with him as a First Sergeant at Ramstein AB. Although only there for a short time as a First Sergeant I was abel to watch and learn from him how valuable not being a yes man is. Chief Mckinley was never afraid to speak up and often was the voice of reason. I am proud to have known him and learned so much. Now that I work in the civilian work force I see how important the leaders

Mike McCrea Retired MSgt First Sergeant, Waterloo Iowa

1/24/2011 10:30:23 AM ET
The followership role is greatly misrepresented and perhaps misunderstood. Just because you FOLLOW does not always equate to caving to or kissing butt. At the same time when you say NO it doesnt mean youre being belligerent. People tend to associate NO subjectively rather than objectively. You can communicate differing viewpoints with your superiors but the objective in doing so is finding a middle ground on which to agree that best accomplishes the mission at hand. THAT is what the leadership followership concept is truly about. Speak up if you have differing views or thoughts but dont just leave it there. FOLLOW THROUGH with supporting statements and suggestions so your leader can make better decisions. Of course once the decision is made regardless if you agree or not you must respect the decision and follow your leader.

Steve, Tampa

1/24/2011 6:23:06 AM ET
Pres GW Bush VPres Dick Cheyne SecDef Don Rumsfeld . . . point . . . how different would our DoD world be if they had not knowingly and meticulosly insulated themselves with YES MEN at the most critical juncture in 21st Century U.S. History.

Steve Lenzi, Hurlburt Field

1/22/2011 4:26:38 PM ET
Great thoughts but obviously misinterpreted. The opposite of a yes man is not someone who whines about everything they do not like, such as the PT uniform. The opposite is a person with knowledge, ideas and initiative who is unafraid to share them with his or her supervisor or commander. As a squadron and group commander, I valued those who frankly brought me good ideas. Those who just want to gripe, with an overblown sense of entitlement, are a dime a dozen.

Jim H retired colonel, Omaha

1/22/2011 12:21:45 PM ET
Well here is how I see it. Yes men always will be yes men. They have an agenda, that being either bucking for star or in the NCO's realm for SMsgt or CMSgt stipes. It's usually about politcs rather than the good of the force. They are there to get all they can while they can get it; a me-vs-them mentality. I had a boss before I entered the Air Force. Mind you, I was in the Air Force almost 30 years ago. He always wanted to know our thoughts and feelings. He always said that his door was always open and he was there for us. He said he might not agree with what we said but he would hear us out. He was the best example of a boss I have ever had. When you have commanders and SNCOs who are willing to at least hear a different point of view, listening to the no's, it destroys the incentives for the yes man to be a yes man. And by that, should lessen the amount of yes men in a organization.

Z benson, Idaho

1/21/2011 6:24:11 PM ET
I have disagreed with bosses, officers and NCOs, a lot of the time but rarely at a staff meeting. I still prefer to state disagreement in private. No need to put the boss on the defensive in a public meeting. Its not a professional thing to do. Just like the adage of "praise in public, reprimand in private," you should agree in public, argue in private.

J. Taylor SMSgt Retired, South Dakota

1/21/2011 5:47:39 PM ET
LtCol Corrothers NO. I see where you're going, but have you thought about this...what about expanding your short article into a 23-page article and submitting it to the Air University for implementation across all forms of PME? To NCOSNCO academies SOS ACSC AWC and even to the USAFAOTSROTC. I admire leaders such as yourself, but only if you practice what you speak. See not too long ago I came across other officers who always talked about freedom of expression/ideas without having fear of reprisal. But when faced with a real challenge they all looked the other way and didn't have the moral courage to speak up. I call these officers cowardly lions and they should be ashamed of themselves. Hopefully your new article is published at all PME levels and maybe we get rid of the cowardly lions that are dragging down our great AF.

BOX, NAFB

1/21/2011 1:37:29 PM ET
I have found as a junior NCO that I get a much better response from most higher ranking officers if I interject my own thoughts. Lts. through Major usually don't see 'No' as the proper response though and I have been reprimanded many times for telling a senior leader that his idea may not be all bad, but here's how we can tweak it to make it better. I have noticed that many SNCOs in my career field lack a backbone and will not tell the boss no, and they really don't like it when I do. But if our SNCOs are not willing to step up, then it is the responsibility of the NCOs to do it. As one of my mentors always tells me, if you haven't gotten your butt chewed today, you haven't done your job.

MacD, Tyndall AFB

1/21/2011 11:30:58 AM ET
Ironically enough nobody seems to disagree with the article. I'll play the advocate... Sometimes it IS appropriate to go with it. There's a time for dissent and a time to -- as an NCO of mine used to say -- shut up and color. Critical thinking doesn't mean you vocally second-guess every decision -- it means THINKING. If a plan works it works. A great leader once said A good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan next week.

tr, ok

1/21/2011 9:38:17 AM ET
Great Article. Tend to agree with some of the comments below our organization tends to marginalize or lable as touble makers those who offer opposing views or say no. That's unfortunate because that may be the only honest feedback you get while all the bobbleheads are agreeing.We need to seek out the nay sayers and get their input not surround ourselves with yes men and women. I value the CGO or NCO who has the spine so say this is a dumb idea boss....

Col A, SA

1/20/2011 11:34:37 PM ET
I hate the yes man they are no value added to any unit. I fully agree with making the mission happen and getting the job done but sometimes the best thing you can do for your troops is tell the boss or the boss' boss NO. I don't think SNCOs and Officer's get paid to just blindly follow orders if it just doesn't make sense and there is a better way I believe it's our job to voice the opinion and tell the boss no. I do this on a constant basis.JFK once said I've never learned anything from those who agreed with me. If no one is willing to say no or at least play devil's advocate I'm willing to be the problem has not been completely thought through.

Dan M, Louisiana

1/20/2011 3:53:17 PM ET
I respect and agree with the intent of the author. However I think it is directed at the wrong audience. Many CGOs and NCOs wouldn't have a problem offering alternative ideas or perhaps even saying no if it weren't for the overt or indirect actions that follow from their leadership. In other words saying no isn't the problem it is the ensuing behavior of those who are being told no. Thus the article should have been directed towards leadership and suggesting that they reevaluate how they interpret and respond to no rather than encouraging people to simply say no or both.In closing it is my belief that much of the Air Force is simply too autocratic-minded to appreciate openly opposing opinions.

Chris Kimball, Louisiana

1/20/2011 12:55:33 PM ET
During 28 years working for the Air Force I learned the saying Nobody ever got promoted by saying no. Unfortunately there's more truth in that saying than exception. I spent far too much time trying to make things happened because the ColonelGeneral wanted it and the policies tried to prevent it. I wish your idea of saying no were more reality but its too in-grained in the service that we must please our bosses.

CJ Colombo, DSCC

1/20/2011 12:46:23 PM ET
On more than one occasion I have had to tell a commander I am sorry sir but the answer is no. Most of the time it was because what he wanted done was in violation of law. On every one of those time even after being told it violated the law I was told he never wanted to hear the word NO from my mouth because NO did not exist in the Air Force. This was from at least 5 different commanders at different levels. Two of the commanders stated that he would never give a definite promote to any officers that every told him NO. Lt Col Corrothers has a very good philosophy unfortunately it isnt shared by over 1 percent of commanders in the Air Force.

Jerry, Oklahoma

1/20/2011 11:53:56 AM ET
Which is why many obvious faults within the AF lay embedded and after people get use to terrible inefficient ways of doing things it becomes tradition. Change is hesistant slow and instantly in need of more changes ie. ABU Career Field Mergers PT Uniform Tech School etc.. Them Do some ancillary training and OJT before you go into non-progression.Me No it is a huge waste of time. I learn nothing from repeating CBTs and from OJT tasks unrelated to my actual job. What was the purpose of tech school if I am in need of months more of critical training. What can we get rid of None Both Them You're a ranting lunatic... 4s on next EPR if your lucky.Me Just kidding want to play some golf on Friday during Lunch I'm buying.Them Now you're talking.

Bob Zanis, Phoenix AZ

1/20/2011 11:52:55 AM ET
I completely agree w this article however the author has intellectual capabilities that many NCOs and SNCOs do not. Lacking are the ones writing EPRs Award Packages etc. It is the USAF culture to go with the path of least resistance.

Bob Zanis, Phoenix AZ

1/20/2011 11:19:28 AM ET
After having developed enough experience and a couple of stripes I learned for myself that sometimes and I do mean sometimes its okay to say no. Some may say I went to far and all too often stood my ground and it often got me into trouble. Sometimes its okay to buck the system but most times its better to hold your tongue especially if you want to get anywhere in a politically charged and motivated environment. The yes men seem all too often to get further ahead than the ones who speak up. My experience was all too often that as a junior NCO my superior NCO's did not have enough spine to back up a good idea or to right a wrong.

Reagan Lathan, San Antonio TX

1/20/2011 10:39:10 AM ET
Great philosophy great ethic to practice. It comes from good character upbringing. Where were you when I was in

Mike, Vance AFB OK

1/19/2011 10:53:20 PM ET
I found that very few USAF officers especially field grade and above want to hear anything but yes sir or yes ma'am. As a new butter-bar I saw that my group commander didn't care if things WORKED well just as long as things LOOKED good for his two-star boss. You may be lucky enough to be promoted. If you are try to be a colonel instead of just another O-6. Too many of them already in the AF.

Otis R. Needleman, USA

1/19/2011 4:29:59 PM ET
AS a commander if you actually practice what you wrote you will go a long way as a leader

D CrosbieRet CMSgt , Floresville TX

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