Whining and Griping
We’ve all run into them: the whiners and gripers. The person who says: “They just rebuilt that and it hasn’t worked for two weeks. What’s wrong with them, anyhow?” Or: “I hate doing this. I wish someone else would do it.”
If we find ourselves around whiners, we want to protect ourselves. We can ask them what they plan to do to remedy the situation: “What are you going to do about it?” This takes the energy out of the negative and helps the person focus on what might be possible. Chances are if the person is really a whiner they will think twice before dumping on you again. If this doesn’t stop the behavior, we can directly but politely ask them not to dump this negative energy on us: “Would you do me a favor and keep your complaints to yourself? I have enough to handle right now and I find this doesn’t help.” And if all else fails, we can avoid them whenever possible If we feel like whining and griping, we want to stop and redirect our energies:
It is in our best interests to keep a positive, constructive and realistic outlook. This will help us stay energized and productive. We cannot afford to allow the whiners and gripers to steal our energy and dilute our performance.
Whining and griping are extremely ineffective forms of complaining. We label those who engage in this type of behaviors as chronic complainers and malcontents. At work, it can have a serious effect on our careers. And yet it is prevalent.
Why is it so bad? The two top reasons:
it is negative behavior and people feel better when they focus on the positive. this is as true of the whiner as it is of their audience. if we spend time in the presence of whiners, we feel worse.
it is negative behavior and people feel better when they focus on the positive. this is as true of the whiner as it is of their audience. if we spend time in the presence of whiners, we feel worse.
Remember ... it's all in how you say it!
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