Run Your Office with No Complaints, No Excuses and No Regrets

What does complaining, office gossip, power struggles, and low morale have in common? All of these issues are symptoms of Drama. The more global definition of drama is “any obstacle to your peace and prosperity.” A more “corporate” way to define drama is anything that hampers the mission or the productivity of the company. If you want to stop the drama and increase productivity you must learn how to identify the resistance. Three ways resistance manifests in the workplace is complaints, excuses and regrets.

Complaints
A complaint can range from “That’s not fair, “this job sucks” to “I’m so tired,” or “it’s so hot,” This habitual banter is negativity expressed as a complaint. I caught myself one day complaining about the heat and I said to myself, “get in the shade or go home!” Complaining has a place if the complaint is coupled with a request, a suggestion or an idea to change the situation. Otherwise, a complaint is just like sneezing without putting a hanky over your mouth. You feel better momentarily but in the process, you exposed everyone else to your germs. Most of us have no idea how often we habitually complain, but if we did know we’d probably justify it with an excuse.

Excuses
“Well, after all it’s the truth,” is one of my favorite justifications. This is what the bully says when she has just spewed venom on an unsuspecting associate. Another favorite one is, “Well, you would respond the same way if that happened to you.” Yet another is, “I would but…” You can always spot resistance when someone uses the word “but.” I tell my participants in workshops that “BUT” means, “Behold, the Underlying, Truth.” Wish I could claim that saying for myself, but it actually belongs to Jon-Roger and Peter McWilliams in their New York Times Bestseller, “Do It! Let’s Get off our Buts.”

Regrets
This one probably belongs to those who lead or manage others. You say something harsh when you giving feedback. Or, when you are interrupted by a complainer, you say something like, “That’s just the way it is,” or worse, “I didn’t ask you to work here.” By the way, the number one stressor for an employee is a rude boss and the number one reason an employee leaves is because he doesn’t like his manager.

The reason you will have regrets when you succumb to negativity is because you just made the situation worse and you didn’t lead by example. Now you have created more resistance that only shows up as a complaint about you…more resistance.

If you want to run your office with no complaints, no excuses and no regrets set the example. Teach your staff that instead of complaining, offer an idea, or a suggestion. Instead of excuses, take responsibility and instead of regrets, be proactive and show respect.