While at home this month due to the quarantine, I am thinking about how “contagious” attitudes can be. Some folks are certain the sky is falling and stock market is crashing, and yet others are saying it will all be over in a couple of months. Everyone has a day when things aren’t going well, but at times it seems certain people never have a positive thing to say. Is your attitude “infecting” others?
Charles Swindoll once said: “Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitudes toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it.”
Whether you are at the office or working from home, everyone could use some good news right now. If you have negative people on your team that seem to drag others down, as the leader you know that negativity can spread as quickly as germs in the office. It may be unrealistic to think that people will be positive all the time, but no one wants a co-worker who is plagued with gloom and doom every day. We all know that positive people are more productive and that’s the ultimate goal. What steps have you taken to improve the situation when confronted with a naysayer? Waving a magic wand to “disinfect” your area from negativity is just wishful thinking, so coaching may be in order.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Try to surround yourself with positive people who support and encourage one another.
- Lead by example. When a colleague has something negative to say, be the catalyst who offers a different point of view (Well George, have you thought about it this way, etc.)
- If you are the manager, set behavioral expectations and recognize positive behaviors.
- Take time to listen and find out what is really bothering this person. Is he or she just being negative or are there unresolved issues?
- Keep people informed. Employees tend to react negatively when their environment changes or someone moves their cheese without notice. Sharing important information on a timely basis can help ease the level of discomfort. Start the week with team huddles to share information and ask workers to share thoughts and ideas as well. Try to find humor in situations that are beyond your control.
- Have a gratitude board on which employees write messages to thank co-workers who helped on a project or show appreciation for efforts made. Practicing gratitude can shift the focus away from negative emotions.
- If you are the culprit, are you aware that your attitude may be affecting others? Don’t be the carrier! Instead, try to find something positive in each situation.
Remember, Winston Churchill said: “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
