After constantly listening and helping small-business owners get unstuck all year, I think America’s favorite past time sport is not baseball, but our constant complaining to each other in business. On many days, hearing anything above the din of these complaints is very difficult.
In this tough economy without new jobs or bank credit, it’s easy to slip into that rut of complaining about everything in our business life. It happens both in conversations that we have with co-workers or comments we make on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
For just this week, in honor of Thanksgiving, let’s shut up and stop complaining about all the seemingly bad things around us. More important, stop commiserating with your friends online or offline about how your customers stink, your vendors charge way too much and your employees make way too many personal cell-phone calls.
Make a promise to me just for this week: Every time you catch yourself complaining about something, stop and do the following:
1. Pair your complaint with something that is actually good about the situation or a time when it was good in the past.
2. State possible solutions to fix the problem and discuss who can implement it.
3. Remember other things in your life that you are thankful for. For example, you have a business that supports your family or you have a job that on most days you enjoy doing.
I know this is a challenge for most of us. But, while complaining is easier and can be a fun sport, it does not help your business or your professional life move forward one bit. Most important, remember: It could always be worse!
