Post date: Dec 03, 2010 9:34:53 PM
Talk about a person with a commitment - that would be thatchronic, the glass is half-empty, complainer. We all havecomplaints, and venting has it advantages. But it's the"stuck like Chuck" complainer that wears thin with everyone. That whiny person you dread being around; that makes youwant to say, "take two aspirin and call my answering servicetomorrow."Self-appointed chief complainers can find themselvesostracized since others are quick to learn it is a goodchoice to avoid whiners at every turn. So what do you dofor those times that you find that there's just no place torun, nowhere to hide, from that dreadful complainer?Six Tips to Nix Complaints and Complainers1. Everybody has complaints, and those that don't comeacross as too Pollyanna and pretentious. However, thoseamong us who are committed and consistent about complaining
wear thin. Ulcers and heart attacks can be caused by
holding in complaints. Migraines can be caused by listening
to someone else complain frequently and endlessly!
2. Be highly selective of who hears your complaints. Find a
complaining companion - a person you can complain to about
what's bugging you, and you offer the same reciprocal
therapy. Agree to set a regularly scheduled venting time
and use a timer for how long each of you will have to
complain. Take a box of Kleenex, and with every complaint,
tear the tissue to shreds and then toss it.
3. Work is not a useful place to complain. You won't like
everyone you work with or everything the company decides to
do or not do. But don't jeopardize your future by building
a reputation for taking a bulldog approach to what you
dislike. Let go of what you can't do anything about or look
hard at where else you can work. If it can't be changed,
avoid tireless complaints about it.
4. Do your part and listen, with limits, to what others
complain about. Seldom are complainers seeking advice, so
it's smart to ask if they want any or if they just need to
vent.
5. If you have to live with or work with a professional
complainer, try earplugs or an IPod . Get creative and try
tape recording the complaining, and give your chronic
complainer an earful by gifting them the recording.
6. Write out your complaints. Ask yourself - did I cause
this? Can I fix this? Is it my business? Am I willing to
be a victim? Complaint lists are like gratitude lists. You
can learn a lot by taking inventory.
Become a pro at managing your own complaining and get
serious about building a strategy for dealing with dedicated
complainers.
About the Author:
Honey Shelton, founder of InterAction Training, is nationally
recognized as an outstanding, compelling speaker and an
expert in extraordinary training in employee performance and
customer service. If you found these techniques helpful,
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