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Original plate · 06 of 07 · Artwork preserved
✦ A field note on yes man
Yes Man
Agrees. Flatters. Echoes.
Wins access through approval, mirroring, and enthusiastic agreement, then quietly steers the exchange toward a private benefit.
Recognize
- There is abundant agreement and little specific substance.
- Praise precedes a request for access or influence.
- Your ideas are repeated until authorship becomes unclear.
Protect
- Look for consistency beyond the agreeable moment.
- Ask what the other person actually wants.
- Welcome a clear difference of opinion.
WORDS TO TRY“What do you disagree with, and what are you asking me to commit to?”
A possible response, not a promise of cooperation. A boundary describes your next action.
✦ An ordinary example
The exchange
An enthusiastic supporter agrees to everything, then treats your approval as permission for an unrelated favor.
What repair could look like
Name the real preference and request. Credit ideas clearly and permit disagreement.
✦ The mirror belongs here, too
Did I say yes to something I do not actually intend to do?
Receiving care, being distressed, or disagreeing with an account does not by itself establish this pattern. Look for the specific agreement, repeated conduct, and the response to a reasonable limit.
Possible Playbook connections
These are examples of overlapping moves, not predictions about a person.