No!

When I interviewed for the AD job at Cosby many years ago, among the things I found out in the interview was that they wanted people whose answer would always be yes. Whether or not you thought it was possible to do what was asked for, you'd say yes, then figure out how to do it.

That mindset was no problem for me--I've always been kind of a "yes" person.  Most of the time, there really is a way to accomplish even the things you think you can't do. You just have to be a little more creative.

As I wade through the stated and unstated "no's" of a freelance life, it occurs to me how empowering it ended up being, always working toward "yes" all those years ago. It stretched what we thought we could do.  It gave us something to shoot for.

As a parent, I am often the one saying no.  No more TV, no, don't cross the street, no, we're not buying a giant box of cookies (that's the last thing someone working at home needs lying around).  I never intended to say it so much, and the results are so much better when I propose an alternative instead of just saying no.  "How about we finish that artwork you were doing?" "Why don't we cross the other way?"

So now, how about getting the job world to approach it that way?  Rather than "no" or "no response," how about, "maybe you could do this, tell me what you would do," or even "yes, I see how your skills match up."  Just a thought.  My kids would support that.  Which means, I guess, if they read this blog, I'll be held to saying a lot less "no" at home.  I can work with that.