No Complaints Here

I would like to display a poster in my office that reads “NO COMPLAINTS HERE!” It would remind me to focus on the positives every day and perhaps persuade others to take their whining elsewhere. I don’t need the residual fallout from their negativity.

We have become a nation of whiners. Some of us seem obsessed with the notion that we are victims and we like to use every opportunity to remind others how miserable we are. We complain about our boss or about our job. We complain about the weather and our favorite sports team. We whine about the state of politics and our fragile economy. And, yes, we complain about family and friends too.

How does a leader deal with the whiners on your team? I guess you could fire everyone whose life and work seems destined for futility based on their daily negative assessment of their circumstances. But that isn’t a very practical solution. Maybe you could simply avoid them. But that seems extreme as well. Could the solution be as simple as telling them it’s not about their perceived enemies but it’s really more about themselves and their attitude?

The whiners I know, myself included on occasion, have much more control over their lives and attitudes than they wish to admit. I can complain about my boss until I’m blue in the face, or I can look for another job and a new supervisor. You can lament the challenges of this volatile marketplace or face them head on with a positive attitude and fresh perspective.

Last year as many of my colleagues saw their sales efforts slumping, mine soared because I was determined that they could and would. By reframing how I viewed what was happening to me and my business I found myself focusing less on what was going wrong and more on what was going right. I used the energy from those positives to remind my prospects and clients about what they could control and how they could reframe their futures as well. Instead of whining, I wowed people with fresh ideas and a positive outlook.

The momentum created during these past months continues. Complaining about one’s circumstances saps energy and creativity. Being positive and optimistic fuels those same qualities. Perhaps every leader would benefit from that office poster I suggested earlier. “NO COMPLAINTS HERE!” It does have a nice ring to it. Now, where’s that marker and paper?