As a consultant I am in and out of a lot of businesses.  I meet several new people every week.  During my reflection time yesterday I came upon a discovery about the difference between productive managers and managers that are “on their way out.”  Let me explain.

I’m frequently in situations where I’m being asked to help with productivity and time management.  My job is to find the key skills of the industrious, fruitful, creative people and then figure out a way to impart that information onto the less prolific employees. 

Guess what?  There’s rarely any real difference!  Actually, I take that back; there is one major difference.  The productive people talk about how good things are.  They are happy, dynamic, and easy-going.  The people whom I’m told need help, are, you guessed it, the whiners and complainers.

In reality, both groups seem to get an equal amount of work done, the prosperous group just has a better way of talking it up. 

For example, let’s take two workers.  The first is touted as an exemplary employee.  She says things like:  “I’m tired, but it’s a good tired.  I accomplished a lot today.  Look at how far we’ve come!  This is exciting!” (Regarding change.) Etc.

The person who got just as much accomplished, but is viewed as struggling says things like:  “I am so overwhelmed!  I need help.  I can’t do all this by myself.  I just learned how to do this and now they’re changing it.  I can’t win.”

Sometimes I am really hired just to make an attitude adjustment in someone.  If only that were as easy to do as to recognize!

Often, when I talk to these two people behind closed doors, they experience the same frustrations and have exactly the same story to tell.  The first is just as overwhelmed and in need of time off or assistance or time management skills as the second.  But because she talks about the positive aspects, she not only helps maintain her own focus on the positive, thereby increasing her well-being, but she also makes the better impression on her managers.

And even though the second person is just, “telling it like it is,” or “speaking the truth,” all she’s doing is making herself miserable and making herself look bad to her superiors.

So what does all this mean?  Am I telling you to just overlook everything that’s wrong with your job and not try to make things better?  No, I’m not saying that.  Here’s what you should do.

If you’re going to have any influence on the people who can make things happen for you, you’ve first got to get their attention.  And it should be good attention – they should want to hear what you’ve got to say – get it?  The best way to do that is to speak positively at every opportunity.  When a problem arises, instead of joining in with the complainers, try saying instead, “Well, this is an opportunity to learn how we can be better at this.”  That will get their attention!

Then, after several weeks or months, or at the appropriate opportunity, (such as when they come to you for your opinion), be prepared to state your case.  Something such as “This department would be more effective with . . . “  Or, “We could increase profits if we had more . . . “  Take the complaint off yourself.  Spin it in a way that shows what’s in it for them – not you.

Negative talk is cheap – everyone does it and people in power dismiss it.  Positive talk is priceless – it gets you noticed and respected.

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