Dale Carnegie Moments
Stemming The Tide Of Negativity
Have you ever had the opportunity to listen in to conversations that your people are having in the workplace corridors? Are there gossips on how the economic downturn will affect them? For the generation Y’s, this is the first economic crisis that they are facing. So how do we stem this tide of uncertainty, fear and apprehension? Read on…
Workplace negativity is a culture disease of epic proportions. I remember an incident that took place quite a while back, when I had lunch with a group of acquaintances. Samples of conversation include: ‘Woe is me’, ‘my boss looks very ugly’ and ‘my colleague lacks intelligence’ among others. I got out of there faster than a lobster jumping out of hot oil. Yes, workplace negativity manifests itself in office chatter. It’s important that we watch out for them so we can take constructive action.
Why is this happening? Complaining and negativity come from fear. Fear of the unknown or the unexpected. So to stem the tide of negativity in the workplace, here are three things we can do.
THE FIRST IS TO BE TRANSPARENT
I’m sure that at times, being transparent is not always possible, but nothing stokes the fires of fear more than uncertainty of what is happening to the organization. If your people know nothing about the condition of the company they will feel powerless. If there’s bad news, better to let them know early so you can motivate them and help them to handle the situation. This is of course, assuming your company has been consistently obtaining their trust and loyalty.
THE SECOND IS TO VALUE THEIR SUGGESTIONS
When people know that they are making a difference, no matter how small, they will feel appreciated. They feel that they are helping to steer the ship into better calmer waters. Nothing’s worse than being a spectator of a tragedy and being powerless to do anything about it. Accept their suggestions, value it and treasure it because the cumulative intelligence in your building will be immense.
THE THIRD IS TO BE SUPPORTIVE
Help their growth in the organization. Oftentimes, people partake in negativity because they just don’t know of any better way. If only they knew that complaining and negativity disempowers them and leaves them low on energy and motivation. Maybe it is time that they need to be developed as a person.
Perhaps down the road, when you listen into their conversations again, it’ll paint a better picture altogether.
Edmond Yap
Performance Consultant
Dale Carnegie Training.
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