Episode 91: Yes Has a Price Tag

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Saying yes feels generous, positive, and full of possibility — but every yes comes with a price tag. In this episode of The Workplace Chameleon, Dr. Celina Peerman explores the hidden costs of commitment and why intentional leaders pause to check the tag before swiping yes. She unpacks the three main currencies you spend with every agreement — time, energy, and focus — along with the fine print most people forget: opportunity cost. You’ll hear why approval-seeking, fear of missing out, and “ten-minute favors” often lead us into bargain-bin yeses that turn out to be far more expensive than expected. With practical tools like the Alignment Check, Bandwidth Check, Trade Test, and Timing Question, Dr. Celina shows how to price-check your commitments and model a healthier culture where smart no’s and well-timed yeses are valued equally. This week’s challenge: before your next yes, pause to read the tag, consider the trade, and decide if it’s worth the investment. Because strong leaders don’t buy every yes in sight — they invest in the ones that matter most.

For more leadership tools and resources, visit www.drcelinapeerman.com
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to the Workplace Chameleon, where we
chase less, choose better andlead with intention, even when
it feels pretty uncertain andchaotic.
I'm Dr Selina and I want tobuild on something that had

(00:27):
popped up in episode 88.
And in that episode we talkedabout every yes costs something,
and I relied really on theissue of awareness in order to
get us to that point.
Today I want you to considerthe word intentionality, how to

(00:50):
check the price tag and modelbetter yeses for your team.
Today we're talking about oneof the most powerful little
short words three letters inleadership yes, y-e -S.
Now yes feels so positive, itfeels generous, it feels like

(01:15):
possibility.
But here's the truth Every yeshas a price tag.
Think of your yeses like itemsin a store Some are bargains,
some are impulse buys and someare luxury investments worth
every penny.
But if you never look at theprice tag, you'll end up with a

(01:36):
cart full of commitments youmight not be able to afford.
So let's talk about what'sreally on those tags, why we
sometimes overspend and how youcan be a better, smarter shopper

(01:57):
with your commitments.
And what I love about thismaterial is I also have to keep
working on this.
So what's really on the tag.
When you say yes, you'respending one or more of the
following three currencies.
We've talked about this alittle bit in the past, but now,
with reviewing it, I want youto understand how you're

(02:19):
choosing which intentionallyTime.
A new project means somethingelse will be delayed or dropped
because you still only have somany hours in the day, energy.
Your brain and body only haveso much bandwidth.
Pouring it here means less forsomething else.
And focus, because every yescompetes with the priorities you

(02:44):
already have.
And then there's the fine printmost of us forget about.
I love this one Opportunitycost.
What else could you have donewith that same time, energy or
focus?
I kind of like to picture itlike swiping a credit card in

(03:13):
the moment it feels fine, swipe,tap done, but later the bill
comes due, and sometimes thatcomes with compounding interests
.
You end up paying more than youever expected.
Consider this If your last yescame with a literal receipt,

(03:38):
what would it list under time,energy and focus?
I think there are some traps inour daily work right now that
lead to overspending.
So why do we say yes withoutchecking the price tag?
Well, here's how I think it'sabout.

(04:01):
Sometimes it's approval seeking.
We want to look helpful,likable and a team player.
Sometimes it's the fear ofmissing out that shiny
opportunity looks too good tomiss.
Sometimes it's just a habit.
We've been on yes autopilot foryears and it's often fear, fear

(04:29):
that no one will hurt ourreputation.
So that fear that if we said no, it will hurt our reputation,
our relationships or possiblyour future opportunities.
And then there's what I call a10-minute bargain bin trap.
A 10-minute bargain bin trap,someone who says just a quick

(04:52):
favor and you think, sure, 10minutes is nothing.
But then come theclarifications and the follow-up
questions and even anothermeeting.
I mentioned this previously inan episode, but I think it just
happens so often that we're noteven aware of it.
So I'm going to flip thoseexamples around today to

(05:15):
intentionality.
When I make those choices nowI'm two hours later and I'm
behind on the work I'd alreadyactually planned on.
That isn't generosity.
Okay, I'm going to say thatagain.
For me, that isn't generosity.
I love generosity, it is a corevalue of mine, something we try

(05:39):
to do in our team.
But that 10-minute bargain bintrap, just a quick favor.
I like relationships, I likebeing helpful, I like doing
quick favors, but it often costsmore.
It was a poorly priced.
Yes.
Squirrel alert Beware of thebargain bin.

(06:01):
Yes, it often costs more thanthe luxury version.
Smart shoppers know how to checkthe tag or the price before
buying.
Leaders, we need to do the same.
Here are four filters I'd likeyou to consider.
Number one alignment check.

(06:22):
Does this match our top goalsor values?
If not, why am I evenconsidering it?
Two bandwidth check Do Irealistically have the time and
energy right now?
Three trade test If I say yeshere, what will be delayed,

(06:46):
dropped or diminished?
Four timing question Is thisthe right time or should it wait
?
Alignment, bandwidth, tradetiming I think those are
fantastic.
Sometimes you don't need a hardno, you just need a soft

(07:09):
deferral no-transcript.
Consider this Imagine if everyyes had a giant price sticker
attached to it.
Which ones would you keep inyour cart and which ones would

(07:33):
you quietly put back on theshelf?
About your personal shoppingcart.
Oh, it's also about modelingwise spending for your team.
The most powerful way peoplelearn is by watching other

(07:58):
people, and leaders who checkthe tag before saying yes are
noticed by team members.
And when leaders overspend,guess what the team does?
They copy it.
So what can you do.
Encourage daily actions thatsupport a culture where not
right now is respected.
Share your top prioritiesopenly, so it's clear why some

(08:24):
requests just don't fit now.
Have a backlog shelf.
Good ideas should not be thrownaway.
We need to be able to get greatideas from anywhere.
We just got to be able toremember them when we need them
and that log they'll be waitingfor you in the right season.

(08:45):
Celebrate smart no's andwell-timed yes's.
Here's a couple more reflectionquestions you can borrow to
take to your team.
One what's one yes we boughtrecently?
That's crowding out somethingmore important.
Two if we returned onecommitment today, what would it

(09:09):
free up for us?
Three where do we need a pausebefore purchase habit?
Remember, this isn't aboutsaying no to everything.
Remember, this isn't aboutsaying no to everything.
It's about choosing the rightyeses, the ones that are worth

(09:31):
the price.
My hope is this gives you somethinking time about how you use
this amazing opportunity of ayes, because a yes is never free
.
It always has a price tag.

(09:51):
But when you check the tag,compare the value, choose
intentionally and your yes thenbecomes an investment instead of
an impulse.
So here's your challenge forthe week Before your next yes,
pause.
Read the tag, check the cost intime, energy, focus and

(10:16):
opportunity.
Decide if it's worth it and, ifnot, put it on the back shelf.
If it's worth it and if not,put it on the back shelf Because
the best leaders don't buyevery yes in sight.
They invest in the ones thatmatter the most.
They invest in the ones thatmatter the most, in the ones

(10:43):
that matter the most.
Thank you for joining me onthis episode of the Workplace
Chameleon.
My hope is this episode givesyou new perspective on how to
say yes, share it with someoneelse and see, potentially, what

(11:06):
conversation gets sparked.
I will always encourage you tolead with intention, protect
your priorities, smash, pleasekeep smashing those mental
health stigmas and, as always,keep learning something new
today.