The reality is that most people in the workplace dislike what they do for a living. Plenty of studies have been done that reveal this and it only seems to be getting worse. If you haven’t noticed, most people display some or all of this behavior:
- Have a negative attitude about everything
- Are constantly pessimistic
- Are always avoiding additional work or responsibility
- Have a negative outlook on everything that happens
The best thing that you can possibly do is have a positive attitude and ignore these people or else they will suck you right into their “club” of people that sit around complaining about everything that happens. While these people are sitting around the water cooler complaining or screwing around on the internet or taking two hour lunch breaks, you must continue to have a positive attitude and give your best effort each and every day.
Which of the following people would you rather have working for you:
Person A – shows up early, stays late, always is willing to take on additional responsibility, treats everyone with respect, has a positive attitude even when he is having a bad day and never reacts negatively to a situation
Person B – shows up on time, leaves right at 5pm, tries to get out of additional projects, treats some people better than others, is moody and often takes a bad day out on someone else and has a negative response anytime something is going wrong
You may think that this is an exxageration, but I’m sure you know some people that fall into the “A” category and some that fall into the “B” category. Our current economy is presenting some interesting challenges and many companies are consolidating/restructuring/downsizing… If they are eliminating people, why would they keep the “B” people around?
Do an honest assessment of yourself and determine which category you fall in to – if its somewhere in between then make sure you are doing your best to improve yourself and get closer to the “A” side as soon as possible. Those that have a great attitude and are constantly positive will give themselves a much great chance at success. And remember to always react positively to a situation, no matter how upset it makes you feel initially. Take a deep breath, walk away or do whatever you need to do so that you can make sure to always react positively to every situation you face!