Have you ever noticed that most of the time when you talk to someone about their work that it goes to the gutter. It’s usually a barrage of complaints about dysfunctional operations, idle coworkers and general mismanagement. We’ve probably all found ourselves rubber necking up and down in agreement someone lights into someone else’s shortcomings at some point. That’s how your supposed to talk about work right?….Wrong.
You never fully understand the adage “bad apple” until you’ve seen one turn the entire apple cart into apple sauce. Negativity is a blight and that will touch every single person and operation in a business. Most people aren’t bad people, they just simply don’t know how to talk about anything or anyone without adding at least a touch of cynicism. The problem is that just a drop can poison your heart.
You also never really know how good your work can be until you are in the company of happy, caring and competent people that know how to work hard. The reciprocal effects that good mojo have on your attitude and creativity are incalculable. It is also a state of happiness that is compounded when you return it in full day after day.
Maybe it’s not the job? Maybe it’s the people in the job that make you unhappy where you are. Take a close look and determine if it’s possible that the situation will change in short order. If the people who bring the clouds aren’t going to leave (and they typically don’t, because misery like company) you need to start making plans to start a business or find another job.
One thing is for certain, if you’re in the position to hire a new team member, the first prerequisite should be to hire for attitude not aptitude. It’s much easier to train someone to follow a procedure or encourage them to learn a new skill than it is to teach them how to be happy.
I heard someone quote an anonymous radio DJ this morning and it struck me. He said “We’re a speck of dust, traveling at 1040 mph on a giant rock surrounded by a ball of fire”. We only get one shot at this thing, so we might as well spend it with people that make us happy.
Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”.
Thanks to @winniekao and @sethgodin for helping me scale my grade this week with the #YourTurnChallenge.
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