1, #102 - A hard 'No'
Anyone can say no to bad ideas, but only a focused person can say no to good ideas. Focus is about saying no.
When talking about one of the biggest lessons he learned from Steve Jobs, Jonny Ive said it was focus.
When talking about one of the biggest lessons he learned from Steve Jobs, Jonny Ive said it was focus.
This sounds really simplistic, but it still shocks me how few people actually practice this, and it’s a struggle to practice, but is this... See more
Farnam Street • Focus to Win
One of the things Steve [Jobs] would say [to me] because he was worried I wasn’t focused — he would say, “How many things have you said no to?” I would tell him I said no to this. And I said no to that. But he knew I wasn’t interested in doing those things. There was no sacrifice in saying no [to those things]. What focus means is saying no to some... See more
Henrik Karlsson • Almost Everyone I’ve Met Would Be Well-Served Thinking More About What to Focus On
"Focusing is about saying no."
– Steve Jobs
Paulina Paucic added
Jobs would often test people, asking them, “how many things have you said no to?” Ive was up to the task of answering, only he didn’t mean it, and Jobs read right through him.
I would have these sacrificial things, because I wanted to be very honest about it. And so I’d say, “Well, I said no to this and no to that.” But he knew that I wasn’t vaguel... See more
Farnam Street • Focus to Win
Benedetta added
There are measures of focus, and one of them is how often you say NO
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”
Al Pittampalli • Persuadable: How Great Leaders Change Their Minds to Change the World
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”