How to Manage - and Beat - Negativity
One of the most important things for any company to successfully tackle
is the onslaught of negativity.
Negative energy can delay or train-wreck projects, increase costs,
prevent effective change management,
raise stress levels and cause high employee turnover.
is the onslaught of negativity.
Negative energy can delay or train-wreck projects, increase costs,
prevent effective change management,
raise stress levels and cause high employee turnover.
More often than not, you don't see it coming. Suddenly you wonder why absenteeism has shot up, you take a look at production figures to find they're dropping. You had a feeling something was going on with A-Team but surely it can't be having that much of an effect on everyone else!?
Yes, it can. Negativity springs from discontent. For an invisible energy, it sure has a lot of guile, plus a no-holds-barred approach to personnel influence. One incident can light the blue touch paper for a negativity attack and open floodgates to a costly, caustic problem that refuses to budge.
There are 3 common (consecutive) approaches to negative assault.
First, you tolerate it. "Live and let live. It'll blow over. People are what they are." Etc etc....
Then patience starts to run dry. Memos go out reminding colleagues of intolerance towards certain behaviours.
When the memos have no effect, action is taken to 'make an example' of a situation, or worse still, of a person. Uh oh - fire with fire.
Yes, it can. Negativity springs from discontent. For an invisible energy, it sure has a lot of guile, plus a no-holds-barred approach to personnel influence. One incident can light the blue touch paper for a negativity attack and open floodgates to a costly, caustic problem that refuses to budge.
There are 3 common (consecutive) approaches to negative assault.
First, you tolerate it. "Live and let live. It'll blow over. People are what they are." Etc etc....
Then patience starts to run dry. Memos go out reminding colleagues of intolerance towards certain behaviours.
When the memos have no effect, action is taken to 'make an example' of a situation, or worse still, of a person. Uh oh - fire with fire.
What can I do about negativity?
Tackle it head-on, as a collective. And let everyone be clear about the strategy - leave no room for it to fester in the shadows. Easier said than done?
Negativity is a cause in itself; wreaking havoc because it can, needing no encouragement.
Negativity doesn't want to be found and stays away from the spotlight. You see the effects it has on morale, fuelling discontent, encouraging down-time. Instead of trying to deal with the symptoms, go for the root cause. When you do this, everyone will pitch in with you. They're not sure where it comes from either, and are just as keen to get rid of it.
Suddenly the causes reveal themselves.
Fragmentation, blame, distrust, responsibility resistance ("silo mentality"), insecurity and fear.
Fear - the emotive polarity of Love.
These are not just base instincts. These are QuantumEsque base instincts. They are energies.
When you handle negativity correctly, you find yourself in a win-win situation. Any pointing finger can only turn to you feebly for a fleeting moment, if at all, when you appreciate that no-one is to blame. But when you apportion blame, you realise your own worst fears as the finger comes flying straight back at you. Habitually, shop floors will blame the management and management will blame the workforce. Break this cycle, and you have a chance to move forward. "Blame culture" became a watchword for good reason.
Get creative with your approaches. Get people involved in new initiatives, like creating KPIs they can enjoy working with. Set up mentorship programmes that give people opportunities to learn from each other. Rest assured, you're going to find one or two people who prefer to stay on-side with 'the way things have always been', and threaten to undermine your best efforts.
Negativity is a cause in itself; wreaking havoc because it can, needing no encouragement.
Negativity doesn't want to be found and stays away from the spotlight. You see the effects it has on morale, fuelling discontent, encouraging down-time. Instead of trying to deal with the symptoms, go for the root cause. When you do this, everyone will pitch in with you. They're not sure where it comes from either, and are just as keen to get rid of it.
Suddenly the causes reveal themselves.
Fragmentation, blame, distrust, responsibility resistance ("silo mentality"), insecurity and fear.
Fear - the emotive polarity of Love.
These are not just base instincts. These are QuantumEsque base instincts. They are energies.
When you handle negativity correctly, you find yourself in a win-win situation. Any pointing finger can only turn to you feebly for a fleeting moment, if at all, when you appreciate that no-one is to blame. But when you apportion blame, you realise your own worst fears as the finger comes flying straight back at you. Habitually, shop floors will blame the management and management will blame the workforce. Break this cycle, and you have a chance to move forward. "Blame culture" became a watchword for good reason.
Get creative with your approaches. Get people involved in new initiatives, like creating KPIs they can enjoy working with. Set up mentorship programmes that give people opportunities to learn from each other. Rest assured, you're going to find one or two people who prefer to stay on-side with 'the way things have always been', and threaten to undermine your best efforts.
How can I get everyone on board?
Right from the start, people are learning how to experience real-time benefits; they rediscover a sense of purpose and become energised by the results of their own efforts. Suddenly, 'coming to work' is something to look forward to. Those couple of people whose defences are so high that they refuse to take part, they will make progress in their own time. Deep down, they want to be happy, too.
While you're cultivating this new system, pressure eases off. Relax, and Devil's Snare gives way. (Herbology from Harry Potter, in case you were wondering.) With a healthy top line in the making, everyone can afford to perform to full potential. You'll soon see this performance reflected in the bottom line, but don't focus on the fiscal and let it grab attention from personnel and progress. This is advancement, with all taking part - helping each other productively, getting the best from available resources, and letting visible benefits create a desirable environment, because they can.
While you're cultivating this new system, pressure eases off. Relax, and Devil's Snare gives way. (Herbology from Harry Potter, in case you were wondering.) With a healthy top line in the making, everyone can afford to perform to full potential. You'll soon see this performance reflected in the bottom line, but don't focus on the fiscal and let it grab attention from personnel and progress. This is advancement, with all taking part - helping each other productively, getting the best from available resources, and letting visible benefits create a desirable environment, because they can.
How do I start motivating people?
You start by interacting with an energy that speaks for itself - by learning the language. Carpe Diem means to 'harvest', not 'seize'. View your company holistically, see your approach reflected in people wanting, and working with, positivity. The workplace is a major part of your life purpose, where you get to collectively make things happen in a microcosmic world. Everyone gains from being present in the workplace and everyone gives with a need to feel valued. By being present, investing energy and incorporating physics strategically, results you currently know only as latent potential can be realised.
Meetings - all of them - start with a short agenda and end with agreed actions. The next meeting starts with those agreed actions and ends with further agreements. And so on. If you don't make absolutely sure that every meeting follows this simple formula, you're wasting an awful lot of time on pow-wows.
When your meetings do follow this pattern, though, you will quickly see positive results.
Talk through your first agenda with me, for free.
Meetings - all of them - start with a short agenda and end with agreed actions. The next meeting starts with those agreed actions and ends with further agreements. And so on. If you don't make absolutely sure that every meeting follows this simple formula, you're wasting an awful lot of time on pow-wows.
When your meetings do follow this pattern, though, you will quickly see positive results.
Talk through your first agenda with me, for free.
The pathway to success in creating a sustainable positive environment is now available for you personally. I can show you everything that goes into my programmes and coach you through the process of delivering culture change right through to the attainment of your goal. Would you like to know more about that before you call me up?