Yes? No? I don’t know…

I’m not stalking Fred Wilson. Honestly. OK, so I’m opening a second day in a row with a point from Fred. But that’s perfectly normal, right?

Is it better to say “yes” or “no” when faced with a business question? Fred argues for the latter, stating “I’ve gotten used to bumming people out.” I agree. In fact, it mirrors something I’ve often said to folks I work with. Because of resource constraints – which, let’s face it, we all have – we cannot possibly do everything online that various groups I work with would like. I’ve always said part of my job is deciding who gets pissed off each day. But I like “bumming people out” better. It doesn’t sound quite so confrontational.

The question that I struggle with is whether this approach is actually just a cop out. There’s no question that the answer often ends with a no. There’s also no doubt in my mind that setting reasonable expectations is a huge part of most discussions. But, I was struck by Jaron Lanier in Joel Garreau’s “Radical Evolution” when a he says, “A profound ‘I don’t know’ is the result of a lot of hard work.” Are Fred and I saying the right thing? Or are we just being lazy?