Defeating Negativity in the Workplace

Transcription

1 Defeating Negativity in the Workplace Produced by SkillPath Seminars The Smart Choice 6900 Squibb Road P.O. Box 2768 Mission, KS Defeating Negativity in the Workplace Copyright 2008, SkillPath Seminars All rights reserved.

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Where Does Negative Thinking Come From?... 4 The 10 Warning Signs of Excessive Negativity in an Organization... 5 How to Distinguish True Negativity From Thoughtful, Productive What Might Go Wrong Contingency Thinking... 5 How to Survive (Even Thrive) in a Negative Work Environment... 6 Coping Strategies for Dealing With Chronically Negative People... 6 What You Can Do to Be a Catalyst for Positive Change in a Negatively Charged Organization... 7 How to Establish a Positive Work Culture That Encourages Optimism and Mutual Support for Correcting Negative Patterns... 7 How to Cultivate the Qualities of a Positive Personality... 8 Personal Action Plan... 9 Bonus Materials...10 Symbol Key Symbols used in this workbook: Introduction: A brief overview of the course you are about to begin Learning objectives: A guide to a session s key points intended to help focus your attention on important elements and essential take-aways Activity: An interactive session some can be completed independently while others will involve group participation. Your trainer will explain how to complete each activity. Summary: A quick review of what you have learned in the current session Personal Action Plan: An opportunity to apply your newly learned skills and knowledge to your specific work environment

3 Introduction It seems that every office has at least one you know, the person whose favorite phrase is That won t work, or That idea failed last time. Unfortunately, it s easy to get wrapped up in the negativity yourself. This seminar will teach you how to deal with negativity as well as show you how to develop a positive personality. Identify where negativity comes from List the 10 warning signs of excessive negativity in an organization Describe how to survive in a negative work environment Explain how to cultivate the qualities of a positive personality 3

4 Where Does Negative Thinking Come From? Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. Benjamin Franklin You weren t born with negative attitudes or even positive ones for that matter. So where does negative thinking come from? 1. Childhood feedback Negativity may have its roots in childhood, when we hear more about the don ts than about the good things we do. (Child psychologists now advise parents to catch their children being good. ) Children learn that the don ts earn more attention, even if they re told those things are bad If people are told over and over that they re bad, feelings of negative self-worth and a negative view of the world may emerge 2. Societal factors Social ills such as drugs, crime and violence make some people jaded 3. Economic conditions Inability to make ends meet, job loss, taxes and government spending can contribute to a feeling of helplessness. But, no matter how a person s negative view may have been formed, a person can choose to have a different outlook on life. No one else can control another person s attitude. 4

5 The 10 Warning Signs of Excessive Negativity in an Organization Watch for these 10 warning signs of negativity in your office. 1. Emphasis on perfection rather than excellence 2. Denial of reality 3. Inability to cope with growth or downsizing 4. Excessive need to control 5. Focus on finger-pointing rather than problem solving 6. Either/or approach to problem solving 7. Unwillingness to change, even for the organization s benefit 8. Reliance on the grapevine for communication 9. Lack of consistent management styles 10. Preference for confidential or need to know communication How to Distinguish True Negativity From Thoughtful, Productive What Might Go Wrong Contingency Thinking Negativists are people who are usually capable but have a deep-seated conviction that any task they re not in control of will fail. Their negativism surfaces when others attempt to solve a problem or improve a procedure. They believe that others in power don t care or are self-serving; therefore, their negative statements are made with conviction. It s important to differentiate negativists from those thoughtful people who, when presented with a new proposal, carefully consider the reasons for not taking the given course of action. You have probably witnessed a seemingly worthy project fail because no one stopped to ask What might go wrong and how will we fix it? This negative analysis thinking is a worthwhile decision-making tool in which you search for unanticipated problems that might result from a project plan. You re planning what actions to take if the unanticipated happens, not assuming that the unanticipated will happen. 5

6 How to Survive (Even Thrive) in a Negative Work Environment While you can t change negativism in others, you can control it in yourself. Here s how: Learn to identify where your negativity comes from in your environment Make it a point to identify the negative people you work with, and keep their negativity in mind when reacting to what they say or do Make a list of the positive benefits you ll derive from remaining optimistic Coping Strategies for Dealing With Chronically Negative People Since you can t change negative people, your best choice is to remain positive by developing coping strategies. 1. Assess the situation 2. Stop hoping the person will change 3. Avoid the negative person when possible 4. Develop a plan for coping 5. Implement your plan 6. Monitor the effectiveness of your coping plan 6

7 What You Can Do to Be a Catalyst for Positive Change in a Negatively Charged Organization You can be a catalyst for positive change in your organization by communicating for positive change. Verbal Nonverbal Listening skills I feel statements How to Establish a Positive Work Culture That Encourages Optimism and Mutual Support for Correcting Negative Patterns Encouraging positive behavior does work if you do it right. Use these methods: Tracking positives Conveying messages of praise Making it a habit Giving the conditional appreciation message 7

8 How to Cultivate the Qualities of a Positive Personality Positive people often have qualities in common. They: Dream big Demonstrate passion Maintain vision Are focused Usually see the positive Are persistent Bounce back quickly from failures Inspire others in their vision Events shape consequences Use this formula to explain how what we believe about an event determines the consequences: A = Event B = Belief C = Consequence A + B = C You can t change A, but you can change B, which will, in turn, change C. 8

9 Personal Action Plan What I ve Learned List the three most important skills you learned in this audio seminar and then write how you will incorporate the skills in your daily work life In this audio conference you learned where negative thinking comes from and the 10 warning signs of excessive negativity in an organization. You now know how to distinguish true negative thinking from contingency thinking and how to cultivate the qualities of a positive personality. 9

10 Bonus Material How a Negative Attitude Influences Achievement Personally and Professionally Personal and professional goals aren t set because they don t seem obtainable. Or if they are set, a negativist will sabotage his or her ability to meet them. Career advancement is delayed or simply never materializes because of strained relationships or poor performance (due to lack of goals or failure to meet them) Daily Contributors to Negative Thinking Smoking, overeating, drug and alcohol abuse and other activities that abuse the body, confirming that you re not worthy Association with negative people Perfectionism Workaholism Procrastination Lack of goals provides an excuse for not taking charge Negative self-talk ( I can t vs. I can language) Job expectations Workload both at home and at work Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. Mark Twain 10

11 Warning Signs of Overstressed Organizations The following checklist is useful in determining the emotional health of your organization and detecting the danger signs of a group breakdown caused by stress overload. If a comment describes your organization s style or climate, write yes beside it; if it s not applicable to your situation or environment, write no. 1. Members of my organization have to be told to help one another. If someone has to be taught new job skills, or if a peer is in trouble, employees won t take the initiative to remedy the situation. 2. Authority and power are in the hands of one leader 3. The leader of my organization seldom passes information down to all levels of employees. The leader rarely keeps each department briefed on what is happening in other departments. 4. There is a lack of clear organizational goals and objectives 5. Group members don t resolve disagreements easily. In the course of airing disagreements, individuals involved have a tendency to lose their tempers and become emotional. 6. My immediate group leader or supervisor holds tight reins of control over the work functions in my organization 7. Group members don t have sufficient information to know exactly what is expected of them 8. Individuals in my organization are unwilling to work hard to achieve predetermined goals 9. There is no sense of cohesiveness or group pride among employees 10. Decisions in my organization are generally made with unnecessary delay 11. Group members don t keep each other informed of what they re doing 12. Energies are frequently dissipated through interpersonal bickering or through the pursuit of personal ambitions 13. Accidents are frequent 14. Coercion is used to get individuals to carry out requests and decisions 15. There is an overemphasis on conformity in my organization. Blocks to independent thinking are frequently used. 16. Group members are concerned only with meeting requirements. They easily lose sight of the main goals. 17. Joking around in my organization is generally vicious and tends to exclude certain members of the group 18. The leader of my organization doesn t back up the employees that he or she has delegated authority to 19. Disagreements and differences of opinions between employees and executives aren t permitted in my organization 20. Shortcuts are used to get out of work or training 11

12 Total number of yes statements 16 20: The organization is in danger of not functioning 11 15: Suggests an impending organization breakdown 6 10: The organization is very healthy 5 or fewer: Indicates a very helpful, low-stress atmosphere If marked yes, these statements indicate: 1, 5, 9, 13, 17: The organization s stress is based on unhealthy interpersonal relationships 2, 6, 10, 14, 18: An unhealthy distribution of power 3, 7, 11, 15, 19: Communication systems are at fault 4, 8, 12, 16, 20: Confusion with organization s goals and objectives When You Are the Negative Influence 1. Openly state your concerns. Don t let them fester. If you do, anger and resentment will build, and/or your sense of powerlessness will mount. 2. Express how the situation affects you. Provide concrete data, examples and evidence. 3. Put an end to negative self-talk. Focus on what you can do to change or alleviate a problematic situation. 4. Learn to recognize your own limitations and accept them 5. Let others assume responsibility for their own actions. Being responsible for everyone throws your own life out of balance, contributing to negativity. 12

13 Six Steps to Conflict Resolution Step 1: Identify and define the problem Separate personalities from problems Concentrate on the specifics Separate facts and opinions Search for underlying reasons Collect additional information, if needed Make sure everyone agrees to one version of the facts Step 2: Identify goals What are we each trying to accomplish in this situation? What do we want the results to be? Step 3: Generate solutions Brainstorm Accept ideas from all parties involved in the conflict Step 4: Evaluate solutions and make a decision Step 5: Set standards for measuring outcomes Create an action plan Break the plan into achievable steps Make sure changes are measurable or quantifiable Step 6: Set a date to review implementation 13

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