🙅 How successful business leaders use the word ‘no’

This week’s must-reads:

• Playbook 2024: We're adding the Phoenix Suns, Mercury to the lineup!
• A template that outlines your future employee wellness policy.
• And how to start saying “no” to jumpstart business success.

GAME TIME

Phoenix Suns, Mercury x Trainual: It’s game on at Playbook!

For this announcement, we might need a hype soundtrack — y’all ready for this?

This is not a drill — we’ve teamed up with the Player 15 Group, owners of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, to join Playbook 2024!

Which means we’re adding to our 💫 all-star lineup 💫:

• Josh Bartelstein (CEO) and Dan Costello (EVP & CRO) will walk you through how they’ve built winning teams, forged game-changing partnerships, and created lasting success in a high-stakes world.
• Plus, the Playbook After-Party will be hosted at Player 15's HQ — home to the brand new, state-of-the-art $100M Phoenix Mercury training facility! 

And remember, that’s alongside ABC’s Shark Tank star Daymond John, Smart Marketer founder Ezra Firestone, and award-winning speaker Goldie Chan — and so many more. 🤯

At Playbook, we’re giving you the blueprint to build, lead, and win. You’ll leave with concrete strategies you can execute and the mindset to go all in.

It's all happening November 12-14, 2024 in Phoenix, AZ. (Want to check out our hotel recs, full agenda, and more? Find everything you need to know here.)

Ball’s in your court! 🏀

🎟️ Put me in, coach!

STARTER PACK

Template of the week: Employee Wellness and Mental Health Policy

If you’ve got a successful business, we’re gonna make the guess that your team does a lot to boost you up. Makes sense, right? Because if you’ve hired the right people, they’re probably smashing all their responsibilities out of the park and doing what it takes to make 👏 things 👏 happen. 

And if they’re helping take care of the business (or should we say… straight-up takin’ care of business), it stands to reason that you wanna do what you can to help them take care of themselves, too.

👉 So, add this Employee Wellness and Mental Health Policy template in your documentation arsenal. Not only does it reinforce your support for your entire team, but it also provides a one-stop shop for any questions they have about any wellness benefits you offer.

‍Check out our entire template archive of free and customizable policy, process, and role starters. New to Trainual? Get a demo.

OH NO, OH NO, OH NO NO NO NO NO

The art of saying ‘no’ for business success

[GIF]

Alt: Woman saying, “No, no, no.”

Repeat after us:
Saying “yes” to everything is not the way to success. And if you’re having any “But I need to say ‘yes’ because I can’t afford to say ‘no’.” thoughts, consider this:

The most successful people know that saying “no” is all about protecting your most valuable asset: time. Time for you to focus on your priorities, do the things only you can do, and actually work without getting sidetracked. Here’s how you can learn to say “no”:

1. Set clear priorities. What are your top goals? Everything you say “yes” to should serve these top priorities.
2. Create non-negotiable boundaries. When do you do your best work? That time should become permanently blocked off for working toward your goals.
3. Be honest. No more vague excuses — if you know where your priorities lie, be direct about them.
4. Offer alternatives. A flat-out “no” isn’t always the best option, so offer suggestions to make it work — like delegating the work to trusted employees.
5. Guard your schedule. Things like email clearing can really derail your schedule. Set times for necessary, but low-priority tasks so they don’t interfere with larger projects.
6. Prioritize your personal time. Know that saying “All work and no play?” Make some time for play to take care of your well-being.
7. Simplify decision-making. Automate those small, repeatable decisions to free up mental energy.
8. Create space between tasks. Avoid back-to-back meetings — give yourself time to grab a coffee, process information, and prepare for the next one.
9. Take extended breaks. Sounds counterproductive, but significant breaks can boost your productivity and creativity.