Negative Negative Negative!
Being back in the office more frequently I get to interact with my co-workers in person more than just on Zoom or Teams calls. It leaves room for chit chat and small talk, as well as the opportunity to get to know my co-workers more on a personal level than just a “face” or “voice” on the screen.
One thing I have noticed since being back in the office more is that everyone seems to have a negative bent on everything.
“I can’t believe that client is always so rude about X”
“Our company has the worst policies compared to company X”
“Why doesn’t the boss ever help me? I see them always helping X but never helping me.”
Negative negative negative! It is the easiest response to whatever is going on in our workplace (or our lives). And how easy it is for me to jump on the negative bandwagon too!
A Real Christian Businessman knows that being the voice of positivity when things around us are negative is hard! Taking a purposeful stance to “not go there” regarding a conversation gone south or viewpoint that is tearing others down is hard not to do. I am not saying be so Pollyanna that we turn the conversation to being completely awkward, but we have a chance to subtly turn a conversation away from a negative bent and push it towards being positive.
When the situation comes up this week let’s see if we can help guide it to be more positive than negative in a slightly yet subtle way.
Even if we do it only once it still makes things better than they were before!
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Eph 4:29 (NIV)