Of the many abilities required to excel at leadership, perhaps none is more important than the ability to say, “No.” Our human desire to be liked and accepted often stunts our learning about this essential skill. Saying “no" requires us to become focused on what really matters. We should refuse to accept tasks from others that dilute our effectiveness. Leaders waste weeks and months by saying “yes" to requests that are important to others, yet distract from the leader’s own priorities — ones that the leader knows will create real impact and have a lasting influence.