(Cont'd)
Was it that they
earned more money? Was it a personal vendetta against them?
Was it sexism or ageism? Each employee failed to look at where
the blame lay - which was at their own feet. In a discussion
with the management they stated that they used the “grump
factor.” Employees that had a bad attitude were considered
expendable.
Obviously when
it comes time to downsize many factors are considered. But more
and more employers want to work with people who are easy to
deal with.(use Mr. Rogers here) Employees who love what they
do, and show others that they love it. I am not talking about
a saccharin sweet phony attitude, I mean a sincere joy.
When Barbara
Walters is asked by young people “What do I have to do
to get ahead?”
She tells them
“Don’t complain, don’t whine. Just make yourself
so good that they cannot let you go. And don’t be afraid
to get the coffee if they ask you to get the coffee.”
Not
sure if you’re being perceived as a grump, take this simple
test:
-
Do
you find yourself very easily identifying problems
with your company and/or co workers?
-
Do you share that information with others (including
family, friends, co-workers)?
-
Do you discount possible solutions as unworkable?
-
Is
your criticism a validation of your over all perspective?
-
Do
you often hear others with similar complaints?
-
Do
you lend a willing ear to their complaints?
-
Do
you sigh, roll your eyes or otherwise display your
negative feelings using body language or tone of
voice?
-
Are
your creating less because of your displeasure?
-
Are
you late to work or meetings?
-
Do
you resent helping others finish their work?
-
Are
you waiting for a change to happen?
-
Has
anyone pointed out your negative behavior?
-
Do
you have “good reasons” to be unhappy
at work?
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The Grump Factor