Not so long ago I took a contract assignment helping a company move from one system to another. It was quite a change. The current system wasn’t working terribly well. A series of work arounds had been developed, which inevitably relied on a few highly technical and capable people knowing from experience what to do.
OK so you think a new system would have been welcomed right? Well not really. Not when you dived deep into the workings of the business and talked to people on the ground. Those who had to interact and deal with real customers either face-to-face or by phone were disengaged with the upcoming new system. They felt left out of the process and, in some cases, were outright negative. Perversely some I suspect were hoping it all turned to custard.
” We think what we become.” Buddha
Looking back on it I think one of the most important roles I made for myself was to just be positive. I said over and over again “it will work and it will be great”. And I didn’t just say it, I truely believed that was the case. Helped by a video I had seen called “The Secret” (maybe a future blog on this) I thought of nothing else but the new system working and working well.
And so things changed. Not overnight but slowly and surely. Negativity became less common place. The buzz of activity, discussion and planning increased as staff turned from being largely disinterested to getting actively involved. And you know what . . . ? It was a whole lot of fun. And yes the system worked.
I actively seek to make the first thing I think or say something nice. Its so much more fun and rewarding – and it makes whoever you are talking to feel good about themselves. Some may say that you risk being overly positive which in turn may exacerbate problems that otherwise could be dealt with straight away. I just don’t buy that argument. We have choices – we can fix (or eliminate) what’s wrong or we can encourage (or grow) what’s right. And the latter surely is a happier place for us all to end up . . .
I invite you to stop and think before you open your mouth to anyone today – and come out with something nice as the first thing you say.