From Inconvenience to Inclusive - Mantra #5

Their Mantra: "I am someone who loves how every single moment in life can be improved with a little curiosity IN THAT my goal is to be the one who can be counted on to always point others towards what "could be."

What drained this individual was when people wouldn't carry their own weight. I totally understand where she is coming from, because I see countless articles about laziness in the workplace. I hear about it often from the leadership at Cisco. I myself hate when I feel as if I am a burden to others, but what happens when that is the case? How do we "kick the mule," so to speak?

Would it seem weird to say creativity? My dad always told me "In the absence of opportunity, creativity must abound." Meaning, that when you don't have money, resources, or obvious opportunities forward you have no choice but to get creative. In counseling, you often "bring the client" into their own journey. You ask them questions to get them to own the path forward.

I recently had a conversation with a manager about a difficult and toxic employee. He asked me whether or not he should fire that employee. The first thing I asked was whether he had objective measures of which to point to when detailing the reason for the employee's termination. The reason is, if you can ask the employee questions and get them to come to the conclusion themselves, then the outcome is far more positive even if the nature of it may be negative.

So if you are someone who feels frustrated by the laziness of others, remember to talk about it in the opposite way. Show that you are someone who is able to help the negative people rather than someone who will be hyperfocused on them. It will always be true that people are attracted to positive people. So, be that positive person!

Never settle.