Negativity in the Workplace

KASFAA ConferenceOctober 25, 2007

Pam DavisKHEAA & The Student Loan

People

Distorted Thinking Styles That Can Lead to Negativity• Magnifying: Turns the consequences

of an event into a catastrophe such as, “I’m going to be fired.”

• Destructive Labeling: Form of over-generalization, making someone or a particular situation totally negative.

• Imperative Thinking: Inflexible rules about how you and others should act usually based on negative past experiences.

• Mind Reading: Attributes motives that explain other people’s actions toward a person or event.

• Divide and Conquer: Over-magnification and wanting others to support a particular position. Tend to get support creating division within groups.

Notable Quote

• Extraordinary people talk about ideas.

• Ordinary people talk about events.

• Shallow people talk about other people.

Steve Gilliland

Why does negativity continue?• Habitual Thinking makes it

normal to focus on wrong.• Culture accepts it.• We tolerate it.• It gets attention.

Change Your Input

• People/Information• Thoughts• Actions• Beliefs

• Character• Life-path

Notable Quote

• We hire people for what they know……

And fire them for who they are.

Steve Gilliland

Overcoming Challenged Attitudes• Look for alternative explanations. • Moods are contagious, both positive

and negative. Do something that will place you in a positive mood.

• Control your frustration. Choose to remain calm.

• Stop looking out the rearview mirror when the big windshield is staring you in the face. Your vision of each event is totally up to you.

• Watch with great care who you hang out with.

• “You become the average sum of the five people with whom you associate with.”

Jim Rohn

Ask Yourself These Questions• Who Am I around?• What are they doing to me?• What have they got me saying?• Where do they have me going?• What do they have me thinking?• What do they have me becoming?• The BIG QUESTION: Is that OK?

A Challenge For You

• Shift Focus

• Appreciate ALL people and never label.

• Learn to appreciate the things you take for granted.

• Influence others more than they influence you.

STOP – START - CONTINUE• One thing you’ll STOP doing –

it’s not working

• One thing you’ll START doing – to get better results

• One thing you’ll CONTINUE doing – because it’s working