The trap of ‘Yes Men’ is dangerous for leaders!
Let me start by narrating a story where the ‘Yes Men’ made a leader a laughing stock.
Once upon a time, there was a king who loved his clothes. He was once approached by two weavers who claimed that they could weave a special cloth which would be visible only to the intelligent persons. The king liked the idea and commissioned them for the job.
The weavers set up their loom in the palace and pretended to be working while doing nothing in reality. Various observers including the king could see that there was nothing on the loom still they couldn’t admit it due to the fear of being declared a fool.
On a fateful day, weavers told the king that the dress was ready for trying and they mimed as if they were dressing the king. The king went to his court where all his ministers and courtiers claimed that they could see the dress and they also praised it.
The king then decided to take out a procession around his kingdom. Whoever the king met on the way claimed that they were able to see the dress till a small child shouted, “The emperor is naked!’ to make the king realise that he had been duped.
All of us have read this story as children. If we read this story today and analyse it to derive some learning, it offers valuable leadership lessons to us.
It’s Lonely at the Top
As leaders, we are often presented with new ideas, concepts, projects and proposals. At times these proposals could be sensitive, hence cannot be discussed with too many people.
In such situations, it becomes tricky for the leaders to set aside their confirmation biases and whims and do an objective assessment of the proposal.
We, therefore, have to be very careful and not get duped or hurried into deciding without making a thorough consideration.
Good leaders must, therefore, have a few sincere and reliable persons who are not ‘yes men’ around them who can be used as sounding boards in such situations. With them, leaders can share appropriate details about the situation and take their candid opinion before making a decision.
Beware of the ‘Yes Men’
Leadership and position of power are magnets for the ‘Yes Men’. Kept unchecked they always or most of the time assume the responsibility of echoing leaders’ thoughts, without any scrutiny. And if in some situation, ‘Yes Men’ do disagree, their criticism is so ambiguous or politically correct that leaders do not get correct insights.
In other words, these ‘Yes Men’ always play safe. They might be doing this because they are incompetent and are unwilling to own the consequences of their suggestions.
It is very dangerous to have such ‘Yes Men’ around. They do not contribute to the cause and often cloud the leaders’ judgment with their behaviour and actions. Thus, ‘Yes Men’ must be avoided, especially when we are dealing with tricky situations or are in the process of making long-term decisions.
“When two partners always agree, one of them is not necessary. If there is some point you haven’t thought about, be thankful if it is brought to your attention.“
Dale Carnegie
Nurture the Child
Children have an uncanny ability to look at things with an open mind. They usually do not have any biases and are willing to express their opinion without any inhibitions.
Since children are not experienced nor can predict the consequences, they are forthright. In our story too, the king was saved further humiliation once the child called him out.
We, therefore, must have some such members in our teams. They would be willing to give us a candid opinion without being hypocritical or politically correct.
Such remarks may turn out to be painful or inconvenient in the beginning. However, if they are considered on merit without any prejudice, it would save us a lot of embarrassment later.
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
Everybody makes mistakes. We are all human. Many times we do not stop pursuing ideas or actions despite realizing that we are wrong. This is because the demons of our egos or social facades do not allow us to ‘lose our face’.
In our story it is quite possible that at some point, the king must have realised that something was not right, however, admitting it was a bigger challenge for him as there was a possibility of him being branded a fool. Not having proper feedback from his so called ‘Yes Men’ compounded his problem further.
Had the king mustered the courage to call the weavers’ bluff, he would have avoided all the bad stuff that followed. But he couldn’t.
It is therefore very important for us to admit our mistakes promptly and cut our losses as soon as we realise that our initial decision or assumptions were wrong.
If we keep delaying the corrective measures, we would keep incurring various costs & efforts and the stakes would keep rising. The decision to call it off would keep getting harder by each passing hour.
“When you make a mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it: admit it, learn from it, and don’t repeat it.”
Paul Bear Bryant
We Could Be the Problem
In the story, the king had agreed to commission the project as he might have wanted to use the new dress as a tool to find ‘fools’ among his people. In the end, he ended up being the biggest fool himself. Most of the time we are looking for fools outside while completely ignoring the fact that we could be the biggest fool.
Fool here is just a metaphor. Whenever we are stuck, we often conclude that things are not working out because of other people and external constraints and we conveniently ignore our contribution to the problem and the ensuing deadlock. It is always a good strategy to pause, take a deep breath and ponder;
“What is my contribution to the problem?”
“Am I surrounded by too many ‘Yes Men’?”
“What could have I done differently to avoid this?”
This often would throw up surprising insights and help us come to a plausible solution faster.
Conclusion
Leadership isn’t just about bold decisions. It’s about building the right environment for those decisions to be challenged, refined, and strengthened. The presence of ‘Yes Men’ may feel reassuring in the short term, but in truth, they are the silent assassins of sound judgment.
The story of the king is not just a fable. It is a reflection of what happens when authority goes unquestioned and truth is traded for comfort. Leaders must actively seek voices that disagree, that probe, that ask uncomfortable questions. Because without those voices, you are not leading—you’re merely being led by your own unchecked ego.
So ask yourself, “Are you building a circle of trust or a gallery of ‘Yes Men’?”
The difference may determine whether you’re remembered as a visionary—or a naked emperor on parade.
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PS: Copilot and ChatGPT have been used to create parts of this post.
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