"N" Search of Ecstasy

Most people are easy to work with. They are friendly, helpful, and upbeat. They speak favorably about the organization and they willingly devote their time and energy to ensure its success, often going above and beyond the formal requirements of the job. They are conscientious, dependable, and helpful. In short, they are good team players.

Unfortunately, not everyone is so enthusiastic.

Some people have a negative attitude about the job, the organization, and life in general. These individuals tend to be overly pessimistic and cynical. They are often quick to find fault with others and are critical of new ideas. To hear them talk you would think that all is lost, nothing will work, and we might as well shoot ourselves and get it over with.


These negative types are also unhelpful. They refuse to participate in voluntary group activities, for example.

And they grumble and complain every time you ask them to do something, treating every request as if it's a major imposition.


No one likes to be around people who are negative - they're disagreeable and difficult to work with.

Most of the time, you just try to avoid them. However, it's not always possible to do that. Besides, as a manager you may be concerned that these individuals could spread their "doom & gloom" outlook around to others on the team, making matters worse. Therefore, ignoring the negative person is not always the best strategy.


So, what can you do?


It's unlikely you can change a negative person's perspective. These individuals are skeptical by nature.

They tend to be distrustful of others and have low expectations, perhaps resulting from past disappointments.

Instead, your goals are: a) to make sure they contribute their fair share to the team effort; and b) to prevent them from discouraging and demoralizing others.


Here are a few tips on how you can do that.



COUNTER NEGATIVE COMMENTS WITH POSITIVE ONES


When an employee makes a negative comment, say something like, "I really believe we can accomplish this."

The contrast between the employee's comment and yours makes it clear to the group that they have a choice.

They can choose to be positive about the situation rather than negative.



ASSIGN THEM A MEANINGFUL ROLE


Sometimes you can turn a person's skepticism into an asset by assigning that person an informal role as the group's "devils advocate." While everyone else is touting a new idea or procedure, you can turn to this person and ask her to poke holes in it - just for the sake of discussion. But beware! Don't try this unless you truly want a balanced opinion. Otherwise, the skeptic will see right through your insincerity making them even more cynical.


This technique has worked for me many times. After all, who is more capable of uncovering potentially fatal flaws in any new idea than the one who looks at the drawbacks to every new initiative anyway. And when the skeptic can't find anything wrong with it, he is forced to say something

like, "Yeah, I guess it'll work okay."



KEEP YOUR INTERACTIONS BUSINESSLIKE


Resist the temptation to get all rah-rah around the negative person in the hopes that you can light a fire of enthusiasm. There's no spark there.


In fact, negative types reserve their deepest skepticism and distrust for people whom they perceive as overly positive and optimistic - the ones who put a "happy face"

on everything. To them, such people are unrealistic and untrustworthy. That doesn't mean you have to buy into their point of view; it simply means that you are likely to get a more favorable response from a negative person if you approach them in a pleasant, but no-nonsense, practical manner.



ACKNOWLEDGE THE EFFORT


Sometimes when people whine about taking on additional assignments or special request, all they really want is for someone to acknowledge the fact that they have been inconvenienced. This is easily done. For example:


"I know this is an inconvenience."

"I'm sorry about this. I know it's late in the day and you were probably looking forward to going home."

"I realize this isn't the best time. Unfortunately, it has to be done right away."

"Thank you for doing this."


While it might not prevent the negative person from whining, these statements of appreciation can go a long way toward breaking down any resistance to complying with your request.


These techniques can sometimes make it easier to deal with a negative person. And they certainly can minimize the effect these individuals have on other team members.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that negativity can be contagious and that, despite your best efforts, you might see a growing number of your employees who were once positive now "turning negative."