Ryan Leak

You did not create a debate.

You did not open up a negotiation.

You just gave them a clear and respectful answer.

The goal of us saying no is to get to a place where we can value all people without saying yes to all people.

One of the ways that I've navigated this over the years is actually by offering what I call airport terminal time.

So airport terminal time is where if I'm traveling and I have a little extra time sitting at a gate, sometimes I will offer that time for a quick conversation.

And it works because it's contained.

It has a start and an end.

And so when they call, I say, hey, I'm boarding a flight in 20 minutes.

Hey, man, what's going on?

How can I serve you?

How's life?

Catch me up.

So they know they got a 20-minute shot clock and that they can't waste time.

Does that make sense?

So I'm giving them a short amount of time versus a coffee.

It's like if I meet you for coffee,

Well, I got to factor in the time that it takes to drive to that coffee and then drive home.

So an hour coffee with you might cost me two hours.

Whereas 20 minutes in the airport, well, I wasn't going to be doing much anyway.