Why Great Leaders Don't Take Yes for an Answer

Praise for the First Edition

“Why Great Leaders Don’t Take Yes for an Answer addresses a perennial and pernicious thorn in the leader’s side—the yes-men in every organization. (And if you think your company is without them, you really need this book!) Leaders at all levels can use Roberto’s advice to make better decisions and align their teams for results.”

—KEN BLANCHARD, Coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and Customer Mania

“Deciding how to decide is a powerful idea that all leaders should understand and put into practice. In doing so, they can become adept at stimulating candid dialogues, testing their company’s core assumptions, and achieving alignment. Roberto’s ideas have already begun to make a profound difference in the effectiveness of our management meetings. Our clients around the world would do well to adopt Roberto’s straightforward recommendations.”

—ED BOSWELL, President and CEO, The Forum Corporation

“Too often leaders mistake silence for agreement. Roberto offers concrete advice on how to beat this trap. A must-read for leaders at all levels.”

—KATHLEEN M. EISENHARDT, Stanford W. Ascherman M. D. Professor, Stanford University and Codirector, Stanford Technology Ventures Program

“In his book Why Great Leaders Don’t Take Yes for an Answer, Roberto provides a unique and very enlightening look into the process of decision making. His thesis around ‘critical consensus building’ is worthwhile reading for any manager or entrepreneur that strives to be the most effective leader they can be.”

—JONATHAN KRAFT, Vice Chairman, New England Patriots

“Unasked questions and undermined decisions are the two main reasons for corporate failure. To avoid these dangerous wrong turns, every executive should study Roberto’s clear road maps for making and implementing decisions.”

—WILBUR L. ROSS, JR., Chairman of the Board, International Steel Group

Leaders still hear “yes” far too often—and they don’t hear bad news until it’s too late. They imagine they’ve achieved consensus, and then they find their decisions undermined by colleagues who never bought in. They become isolated, and even the most dangerous actions can go unquestioned. This remains an enormous problem for leaders and for the entire organization. But is it inevitable? Absolutely not.

In a new edition of his widely praised bestseller, Michael A. Roberto shows how to stimulate constructive debate that leads to better decisions, deeper consensus, and better results. Now reflecting new research and updated case studies, this edition also integrates more valuable guidance on benefiting from “devil’s advocacy” without introducing negativity or costly delay.

Throughout, Roberto offers powerful new insights into managing teams, mitigating risk, and even promoting ethics through effective governance. Whether you’re a senior executive or a project team member, this book will help you leverage your organization’s immense untapped wisdom to optimize both decisions and performance.

DECIDING HOW TO DECIDE: A BETTER FRAMEWORK

Systematically diagnosing, evaluating, and improving your decision-making processes

BALANCING ASSERTIVENESS AND RESTRAINT

Reaching the right decision without micromanaging its content

OVERCOMING THE SILENT BARRIERS TO CANDOR

Promoting the right conflicts—the ones that lead to clarity and progress

CREATING CONSENSUS WITHOUT COMPROMISING CREATIVITY

Using fair and legitimate processes to achieve closure that’s real, not fake