Now I’m Not One To Complain...

No, seriously.
That’s not the lead-in to a joke.
I’m not a complainer.
But there are a lot of people out there who are.
When the business is quiet, they complain that it’s all doom and gloom.
The sky is falling so buy a big hat.
Then things get better and business picks up.
Suddenly, we’re too busy, there’s too much pressure and we’re going to have to turn work down.
And when we finally get the balance right, people complain that they’re bored.
They’re actually moaning about the fact that there’s nothing to moan about.
I was watching Jerry Maguire on TV the other night and noticed a poster on the wall of the Arizona Cardinals’ locker room.
It said “A positive anything is better than a negative nothing.”
I struggled to define its meaning but now I get it
Stop moaning.

Dennis The Menace

We all know a Dennis.
He’s the guy that you’ll find in every company, stalking the halls in a negative frame of mind, bringing down the people around him.
Sometimes you’ll find yourself questioning how he gets away with the kind of behaviour that would see other people dragged into the boss’ office.
Someone will say with a shrug and an ironic laugh, “it’s just the way he is.”
The problem is, Dennis can be good at what he does so the benefits of having him around outweigh the pain involved.
But what happens when the cost of Dennis’ toxic behaviour (in terms of its impact on the team around him) outweighs the value he brings?
What if that maverick behaviour rubs off on other people, who figure “well, it works for him...”
That’s when the problems really start to escalate.
Dennis spends his life in ‘his zone’ – it’s what makes him good at his job.
It’s also why he’s usually unaware of his impact on the people around him.
Someone needs to talk to him, explain what’s happening and give him the chance to turn things around.
Otherwise it’s a relay race where one of the team is hitting their mates over the head with the baton
And that’s no way to win.