Reasons to be cheerful

Even if you want to stay positive, once a culture of negativity has taken root in your workplace, it can be hard to resist, The Washington Post writes.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try not to keep moaning.

Jon Gordon outlines a way out of this trap in "The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work" (Wiley, $20).

Gordon's core message is simple and effective. But it's also deliver¬able in a handout. To illustrate that message, and to pad it out to the length of a book, he wraps it into a parable about a troubled company and its beleaguered - but eventu¬ally triumphant - human resources executive. Only at the end does he deliver the goods: a practical, stepbystep plan for maintaining a healthy attitude at work.

The crux of that plan is to cut down on complaining. But Gordon isn't saying we all need to stick our fingers in our ears and try to lalala our way to happier workplaces. Instead, people - and organisa¬tions - must work to transform "mindless complaining" into "justi¬fied complaining".

"The difference is intent," Gordon writes. "With mindless complain¬ing you are mindlessly focusing on problems. However, with justified complaining, you identify a prob¬lem and the complaint moves you forward to a solution [hopefully]."

In other words, before you gripe about something - especially to your boss - stop and think of one or two suggestions to fix the prob¬lem. Similarly, if other people tend to use you as an outlet for their complaints, turn the focus back to them, and ask what they think should be done about the problem.

Mindless complaining is so pervasive that many people don't even realise they are doing it, or they try to justify it as therapeutic "venting". Not sure whether you're a problem whiner? Gordon includes a brief quiz at the end of the book that helps you decide where you fit on the continuum of complainers.

Once you know that, breaking the complaining habit is pretty straightforward, and Gordon turns to some classic advice:

l Practice gratitude. Count your blessings each day. "If you are focusing on gratitude, you can't be negative," Gordon writes. "You can also energise and engage your coworkers by letting them know you are grateful for them and their work."

l Praise others. "Instead of complaining about what others are doing wrong, start focusing on what they are doing right," he says. Aim for a ratio of three positive comments for every negative one.

l Finally. Let go. Some things aren't worth complaining about because there is nothing anybody can do to fix them. "You'll be amazed that when you stop trying to control everything, it all somehow works out," Gordon says.