Recently, I have talked to several people that are non-committing and fuzzy in their interactions. When asked for a clear yes or no, what I get is a half-assed “maybe” that doesn’t help me and clearly causes them discomfort. My analysis is that we often fail to give clear statements to avoid upsetting others, to keep options open and delay uncomfortable situations. The problem is that the lack of clarity tends to build up, cause dependencies across the board and make life very complicated. The very intent of finding the easy way out causes us to end up in a much more complex and messy situation. Instead, I would much more appreciate a clear yes or a clear no. Then I know where I stand and I can move forward accordingly. I try to act based on the same principle. When I am very busy, my default answer is no unless my gut reaction to a request is “Hell, yes!”. When I am less busy, my response can be positive for those requests where I feel that I can learn, explore or develop in some way that I consider good for me. So, as my encouragement for today: keep it simple!