You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. Where did such profound words come from? Well, cartoon hero Ziggy, of course!
One of our core values at Gibson is Optimism Reigns. We can’t deliver the very best client experience if we’re acting, communicating, or even thinking in a negative, defeated manner. We know that attitude and outlook have a direct impact on the results of our employee-owned company.
Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecturewrote, “Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier.”
So why do we have trouble with negative behaviors from time-to-time? Author Gary Tophick writes that negativity occurs when people are feeling a loss of confidence, control, or community.
Do you think the negativity has gotten worse over the past several years? That would make a lot of sense given the economic upheaval we’ve been through. Many people are experiencing greater pressures at work and at home. Could feeling stretched and stressed contribute to the feeling of a loss of confidence, control, or community? You bet it can.
What’s The Risk?
How many situations have you not dealt with because the “epicenter” of the negativity “has a lot of talent” or would be “tough to replace”. But’s what’s the total cost of not dealing with the issue? Heavy stuff, isn’t it?
Author and project management guru, J. Alex Sherrer describes it best in his 2010 piece Combating Workplace Negativity.
“Negativity is destructive, and is a financial loss to our organizations because it hinders innovative ideas and change, and it’s an opportunity cost, draining intellectual and productive synergy from coworkers, teams, customers, stakeholders, and the entire organization. And unchecked negativity is a vortex, drawing others into it, exponentially spreading its negative consequences, resulting in lower morale, loss of faith in the organization, and higher absenteeism and turnover as the best people leave to seek better environments.”
When I first read this, I just paused and let it sink in. As leaders, the damage is more far reaching than we sometimes want to admit. So what can we do encourage optimism in our workplace?
Self-described “Irritational Speaker” Larry Winget suggests an aggressive approach. In a Twitter post, he wrote, “Be quick to ban toxic people from your life. Write them off and never look back.”
I’m not convinced it has to be like that. As Tony Robbins points out, “If you have positive internal representations or beliefs, it's because that's what you have created. If you have negative ones, you've created them, too.”
Research points to negativity being a learned behavior. That means we can learn to be positive, too! It also reminds me to focus on the negative behavior – not the individual.
- Understand you and others make the choice to be positive or not.
- When you’re confronted by negative behavior, address it, without making it personal. Suggest an alternative way to look at this.
- Help those who are being negative regain a little control and confidence if you can. This can be done by communicating your intentions or the ultimate outcome you’re seeking. Paint the picture of how things will look in the future.
- Stay motivated yourself. Negativity can be contagious so it’s not something you can just ignore over the long haul. Affirm the truths and remain committed to the positive vantage point.
Former Colts coach Tony Dungy said, “When you're in a situation, you can complain about it, you can feel sorry for yourself, you can do a lot of things. But how are you going to make the situation better?”
So do me a favor… Actually, do yourself a favor. Think of that negative situation you’re dealing with right now. How are YOU going to make it better?
